What is child trafficking?
Child trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which children are kidnapped, bought, or sold and then forced to work as prostitutes, domestic servants, beggars, or laborers. It is estimated that there are more than 2 million victims of child trafficking around the world.
The Victims of Child Trafficking:
Child trafficking can affect any child, but some groups are particularly vulnerable to being trafficked. These include orphans, street children, displaced children, and children from poor families. Girls are especially at risk for being trafficked into the sex trade, while boys tend to be trafficked into labor camps.
How Does Child Trafficking Happen?
There are many ways in which child traffickers can exploit their victims. Some common methods include:
- Promising a better life: traffickers often lure children with false promises of a better life or education. They may promise them jobs or money but instead use them for labour or sexual exploitation.
- Using force or fraud: traffickers may physically restrain their victims or use deception and fraud to control them. For example, they may pretend to be friends or relatives before forcing the child into servitude. - Taking advantage of displacement: Many refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) are easy targets for traffickers because they have no home or community support system to help them protect themselves from exploitation.
The Consequences of Child Trafficking:
Trafficked children experience extreme physical and emotional abuse and have little hope for escaping their situation. Some common consequences of child trafficking include:
- Physical abuse: Children who are trafficked often suffer from physical violence at the hands of their captors. This includes beatings, starvation, burns, and rape/sexual assault.
Content created and supplied by: JuVe (via Opera News )
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