FREE MOVEMENT’S DARK SIDE: The real Schengen problems and why it may be too late for UK
FREE movement has been heralded as one of the main reasons for remaining in the European Union – and the prospect of its continuance in Britain hangs over talks in Brussels.
By ZOIE O’BRIEN
Express.co.uk
Sat, Jul 2, 2016
But charities and eastern Europeans alike have revealed how Schengen has helped trafficking gangs and smugglers while easing law breaking across the bloc and in Britain.
Shock new predictions suggest up to 2,000 girls are brought across UK borders by traffickers before being abused, raped and held against their will every year, while eastern Europeans freely admit they use Schengen to work illegally in the EU.Schengen, which takes its name from the town in Luxembourg where the agreement was signed, has been fiercely criticised since it took effect in 1995.
Many argue since its inception levels offset trafficking to the UK have reached astonishing levels, and, after the Paris and Brussels attacks, Eurosceptics suggested terrorists were able to travel too easily across EU borders.
Although Britain is not a member, it is argued the work of traffickers is made easier by Schengen since they must only bring people as far as France and smugglers have only one real border to negotiate to reach the UK from the bloc.
In England and Wales alone, during three months between July and September 2012 the National Crime Agency was notified of 324 people were flagged up by the National Crime Agency as possible trafficking victims.
Off all those reported 97 were confirmed as victims and 84 cases were pending.
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