Shift in battle to tackle teens trapped in Marseille drug 'slavery'

"Hundreds of teenagers, often estranged from their families, have been ensnared by violent drug gangs in Marseille, France's second-largest city. After being recruited through social media from across the country to act as look-outs or street corner dealers, they soon find themselves trapped. Authorities in the southern port city have struggled to stem the flow of young people into gangs where they are exploited and abused, a pattern that emerged shortly before Covid."

""We often see minors who have been severely beaten, held captive and who can no longer get out of these networks," said Marseille's public prosecutor, Nicolas Bessone, who now openly refers to the practice as human trafficking as authorities shift their approach. Cases that lead to prosecution are rare, as victims almost never file complaints. "There's a code of silence, no one reports it," said Bessone."

"Hakim - not his real name - travelled south from the Paris region at the end of 2020 when he was 15 thinking to make a fast buck. His phone was taken away, and he was forced to sleep at the home of a woman who provided only a bowl of water to wash and a single cookie to share between him and another person, he told investigators."

Hundreds of teenagers, frequently estranged from families, have been recruited to work for violent drug gangs in Marseille. Recruitment often occurs via social media from across France and coerces recruits into look-out or street-dealing roles. Authorities have struggled to stem the flow of young people into networks where they face exploitation, beatings, captivity and sexual assault. Prosecutors now describe the phenomenon as human trafficking, but prosecutions remain rare because victims almost never file complaints due to a strict code of silence. The climate of fear intensified after the assassination of a young anti-drug campaigner’s brother. Some victims approach police pleading for help.

Read at The Local France