EU eyes tougher child porn and human traffic laws

Police in the 27-nation European Union would be able to fight human trafficking by tapping phones, eavesdropping and using methods already taken to combat organised crime, European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot told a news conference.

The measures would strengthen and extend existing laws to help prevent modern slavery and child sexual abuse, Barrot said.

"When we speak about child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, we are speaking about horrendous crimes against children that leave deep scars and suffering for their whole lives," Barrot said.

The proposals will be discussed by EU ministers and once approved should be incorporated into national law, a Commission statement said.

As many as 500,000 people are affected by human trafficking annually in the European Union, and 10 to 20 percent of children in the bloc will be sexually assaulted during their childhood, Barrot said.

International Labour Organisation figures show that 1.225 million people are trafficked globally every year, most of them women and girls exploited for prostitution.

"It is now possible to establish who is looking at images of child pornography. And the same would apply to the use of webcams or the web in order to witness the sexual abuse of children," Barrot said.

(Reporting by Sarah Luehrs)