By Sam Bagnall
This World
Across Europe thousands of Roma (Gypsy) children are being forced onto the streets to beg and steal, and law enforcement agencies are seemingly powerless to prevent it.
Cash machines in Madrid are a particular target for street crime. The cardholder is distracted at the crucial moment by one person, allowing a child to dive in, grab the money and run off.
Thirteen-year-old Daniela says she can make 300 euros (£260) from a single successful robbery without any risk of being punished.
"It’s only the police that catch us. They take the money we have on us. They take us to the day centre, and the centre lets us go.
"I give [the money] to my mother so we can go to Romania to build a house. But I hide some of it for myself. I give her 150 euros, and I keep 150."
Madrid police say that 95% of children under 14 that they pick up stealing on the streets are Roma from Romania.
Because the age of criminal responsibility in Spain is 14, there is little they can do.
More than 1,000 Romanian Roma live in just one of the many camps that lie on the outskirts of Madrid.
The conditions are appalling – rats roam freely amid the rubbish, and there is no sanitation.
Every day children from the camp head out into the city to steal and beg, and many are beaten by their minders if they do not return with money.
Organised crime
Nowhere in Europe has there been more controversy over crime in the Roma community than in Italy, where the government recently declared a state of emergency following various high profile crimes blamed on the Roma.
"In a month period, each kid earned about 12,000 euros"
Francesco Messina, Milan police
In Milan in 2007, just after Romania entered the European Union, police noticed a surge in theft and pick-pocketing carried out by Roma children.
They launched a major investigation involving phone-tapping and surveillance, which revealed that a criminal gang was using the children to generate huge profits.
"In a month period, each kid earned about 12,000 euros (£10,500). Then, 12,000 euros times by 50 kids, and if we do the maths, we reached an astronomical amount of money," says Francesco Messina, who led the police operation.
Members of the gang were jailed for up to 14 years in prison for enslaving and exploiting the children, many of whom were discovered locked in a shed when police raided the camp.
The rescued children were taken into care, but the BBC’s This World programme discovered two of the boys had gone back to the streets of Milan, and were stealing again. Even this huge police operation had not saved them from a life of crime.
Discrimination
The roots of the problem lie in Romania, where Roma have faced discrimination and hostility for generations.
The pop star Madonna commented on the problem during a concert in Bucharest last week, and was jeered by the audience.
Poverty among the Roma is widespread. In 2007, Unicef reported that up to 70% of households had no running water.
"The thieving is no longer a national problem – it’s happening on an international scale"
Breliante, underworld boss in Craiova, Romania
Many Roma end up leaving the country in search of a better life in the West. Some resort to begging and stealing.
In Milan, Italy, this resulted in a strong backlash. Some Roma camps have been bulldozed and there calls are heard for all Roma immigrants to be deported.
"The right wing says that Romany Gypsies are just people that exploit their children and women for stealing for begging and maybe there is a bit of a truth in this," says Donatella DeVito, who works for a charity that tries to help integrate the Roma into Italian society.
"But the real problem is that some of the Roma actually beg and steal because that’s the only chance that they have for surviving."
Fabulous villas
While some crime is driven by poverty, a worrying amount is the result of child exploitation, organised by professional criminals.
Breliante is a powerful underworld figure in the Romanian city of Craiova, where many of the Roma criminals in Milan originated.
He told the BBC many of the fabulous villas in the city were built on the proceeds of crime committed all over the world.
Gang bosses traffic people, including children, abroad to beg and steal and get fat on the profits.
But even he believes the sheer scale of the crime has gone too far and will have serious repercussions.
"The thieving is no longer a national problem. It’s happening on an international scale. Our children need to study, because if they carry on like this, if the new generations which grow up now continue in the same way, no-one will have us.
"Our country won’t understand us any longer, the Western countries will chase us away."
Liviu Tipurita, who has made films about Roma and child trafficking for many years, has similar fears.
"My fear is that without immediate help the Gypsy child thieves I’ve encountered in my journey will grow up into hardened criminals," he said. "And the cycle of abuse and exploitation will spiral out of control."
This World will be broadcast on Wednesday 2 September, at 7pm BST, on BBC Two.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Murray starts with convincing win
US OPEN
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: 31 August – 13 September
BBC coverage: Live text commentaries on the website from 1600 BST each day, regular updates on 5 live, full commentary on 5 live sports extra in week two, both finals on 5 live, tennis special on 5 live (3 September, 2000-2100 BST)
Andy Murray has been backed to go one better and win this year’s US Open by former British number one Tim Henman.
Murray, 22, was beaten by Roger Federer in his first Grand Slam final last year at Flushing Meadows and begins his quest against Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
"Federer is the favourite," Henman told BBC’s Sportsweek ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam starting on Monday.
"But Murray’s number two now – I think he can get back to the final and go one stage further."
Henman, who reached the semi-finals at the US Open in 2004, believes Murray needs to show he can dictate matters on court against the top-ranked players in order to realise his dream.
"I think the more pro-active he is, the better he plays," added the 34-year-old.
"Because he’s so solid and moves well, sometimes I feel he thinks he just needs to keep the ball in play, move and hit his strokes to beat these guys.
"But if he can be more aggressive against the best – Federer and Rafael Nadal – then he can dominate and make his opponent do the running. He has the technique to do that."
Since reaching last year’s final, Murray has won seven tournaments, taking his career tally to 13, and climbed from number six to number two in the world.
He has also matched his best performance at the Australian Open in reaching the fourth round and improved on his previous bests at the French Open and Wimbledon, where he made the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
"One of the few things that I want to do now in tennis is to win a Slam," said the Scot.
"It’s something that’s incredibly difficult to do but something I believe is possible.
606: DEBATEWho will win the US Open title
"I think a lot of players say when they win their first Slam it’s sort of a relief because it’s so much hard work that you put into it. I’m hoping I can do it here."
The presence of Federer, who is chasing a record-equalling sixth successive US Open title, and Nadal – who Murray beat in the semi-finals last year and is seeded to meet at the same stage again – means Murray assesses success in the Slams differently.
"You’ve got the two of the best players ever playing just now so it’s a little bit disrespectful to the other players to view it as being a failure not to get to the final," he added.
"I’ll be disappointed, for sure, because I want to try and win every tournament I play in.
"But I think I have a good enough understanding of tennis that you can still have a good Slam and not win it."
Nadal, who could not defend his Wimbledon title because of a knee injury, has dropped from world number one to three and begins his campaign against Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Federer, who usurped Nadal to take the top spot in July, is in the other half of the draw and will begin his title defence against 18-year-old American Devin Britton in the second match at the Arthur Ashe stadium on Monday.
"I feel like I am actually playing some of the best tennis I have ever played in my career"
Defending women’s champion Serena Williams
The Swiss star has not lost a US Open match since the fourth round in 2003 but insists he will not take his novice opponent lightly as he bids to equal the six straight titles of American Bill Tilden in the 1920s.
"Doesn’t matter who you play, where you play – if you think the guy is not going to make a game that’s absurd," Federer said.
"That’s how tennis is. You have to be very careful. I have to make sure I put in a good performance."
In the other highlight on the opening day of the men’s competition, Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick faces plays German Bjorn Phau.
On the women’s side, defending champion and second seed Serena Williams begins her quest for her fourth US Open title against compatriot Alaxa Glatch – the third match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"It’s shocking to think that it was 10 years ago," Williams said of her first US Open title.
"I just feel like I am really excited to still be playing top-level tennis 10 years later, which is just really awesome.
"I feel like I am actually playing some of the best tennis I have ever played in my career."
"I like playing here. Staying in downtown Manhattan you always have shopping. If you make some cash you can go spend some"
Dinara Safina
The following match in the main arena sees her sister and third seed Venus Williams, who won the last of her two US Open titles in 2001, up against Russian Vera Dushevina.
World number one and last year’s runner-up Dinara Safina faces Australian Olivia Rogowska in her first-round match.
Safina is optimistic about her prospects of another good run at this year’s event.
"I always had good results here," said the Russian, who has yet to win a Grand Slam.
"I like playing here. Staying in downtown Manhattan you always have shopping. If you make some cash you can go spend some."
Former world number one Kim Clijsters, making her first US Open appearance since winning the 2005 title, opens play at the Arthur Ashe Stadium against Ukraine’s Viktoria Kutuzova.
Clijsters, 26, received a wildcard for her first Grand Slam tournament since returning from a two-year break, during which time she got married and had her first child.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.