Germans Implicated in Child Trafficking

A German television documentary aired Monday night has claimed that Germany's embassy in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia is guilty of issuing visas to under-age children who have since fallen into the hands of local pedophile networks. The report broadcast on Germany's ARD channel showed several Bulgarian children of Roma origin telling their stories of being "invited by German uncles" for a longer stay in the country. The report also alleged that parents had been paid by unknown persons to allow their children to go to Germany. Diplomats from the German foreign ministry apparently refused to reply to ARD's journalistic inquiries regarding the allegations. Bulgaria's Euro Roma organization has since approached the embassy in Sofia with an inquiry over what measures had been adopted by the German government to punish the people involved in the affair.