UNICEF Urges France to Recognize Exploited Minors as Victims, Not Criminals

UNICEF Urges France to Recognize Exploited Minors as Victims, Not Criminals
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UNICEF France has criticized the country’s response to child exploitation, warning that thousands of minors involved in criminal activities are being treated as offenders rather than victims. The remarks came in a report released Wednesday to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

The agency highlighted what it called a “double punishment” for vulnerable children coerced into crimes such as drug trafficking, prostitution, pickpocketing, and document fraud. According to official data, over two-thirds of those involved in such exploitation in France are under 18, with 92% unaccompanied and 81% originating from African nations, particularly Algeria and Morocco.

UNICEF noted that the lack of formal mechanisms to identify and refer victims makes it difficult to assess the full scale of the issue. In 2023, only 236 trafficking victims—adults and minors—were identified by NGOs in France, a drop from 352 in 2022. In contrast, the UK identified nearly 2,900 exploited children in 2024.

The organization is calling for legal reforms to ensure that minors forced into criminal acts are not prosecuted. It also seeks amendments to the civil code to automatically place exploited children under the protection of juvenile courts.