The Economist has a report on the difficulties in determining whether Romanian children living in the United Kingdom are in fact child-trafficking victims.

The questions stem from a raid on January 24 where 68 Roman children were found by authorities.  Of those 68, 10 were taken into custody by the state.   However, questions linger as to what whether or not the children were actual trafficking victims.

From the Economist:

Why the confusion? The Roma themselves say the authorities are puzzled by their family arrangements, which, because it is common for children of different surnames to live with relatives who are not their parents, may look odd to British eyes. Cramming many people into tiny rooms also arouses suspicion, though it may be caused by nothing worse than poverty and ineligibility for council housing. Finally, Romanians’ peculiar immigration status—they may come to Britain freely but may not take up unskilled work, as most other east Europeans can—makes begging and petty theft more likely. And there is a perverse incentive for children to claim to be parentless, because lone children qualify for benefits that would be denied were they in the care of a relation.

Worldwide, Human Trafficking is a $32 billion industry.