Disturbing information about child trafficking has come to public attention. In neighboring Yemen it has now become a serious problem following the recent announcement by Yemeni officials that Saudi authorities had handed over 25 Yemeni children to the Yemeni authorities.
The children had been smuggled into the Kingdom by gangs operating in Yemeni provinces along the border between the two countries. Two weeks after that announcement, Yemeni police said they had arrested members of two gangs involved in smuggling children into the Kingdom. Fifteen men were arrested for trying to smuggle 35 children into the country.
I recently read a frightening report in a Lebanese newspaper about gangs smuggling children into Gulf countries. Once there, the children are used in a number of illegal activities ranging from beggary and theft to the smuggling and distribution of drugs.
It seems we are faced with a serious situation that threatens not only our security but also the very morals, values and principles upon which Saudi society is built. At stake is the identity of our society whose members are filled with compassion for the needy and unfailingly offer to help and alleviate the suffering of others.
If no stern action is taken to confront the problem, the number of children being smuggled into the country will increase and over time, they could easily become criminals involved in every kind of illegal activity. Gangs involved in robbery, murder, vice and other crimes could greatly harm the country causing people to live in fear and uncertainty.
The problem, according to one Yemeni official, began when some families sent their children to the Kingdom during Haj simply to beg. More organized groups then got involved with the children being assembled in areas close to the border and then smuggled into the Kingdom.
The situation calls for a coordinated effort involving all relevant bodies that must move quickly, as we have done in confronting terrorism, to contain the problem. Every member of society should be involved. It is not a problem that should be left to the state alone to solve.
