24/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 22 September, the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP-ED, Germany) announced a written declaration calling for the stepping up in the fight against the trafficking of children. The declaration also called on member states to including this objective in the priorities of national policies protecting children. The trafficking of children remains a persistent problem given that each year, more than 2 million children are forced to work or sexually exploited. The declaration has so far received 409 signatures and will be sent to the Council and Commission. (B.C/trans/rh)