World Day against Trafficking in Persons
July 30, 2024 2024-07-30 15:33World Day against Trafficking in Persons
World Day against Trafficking in Persons
This year’s global campaign for World Day against Trafficking in Persons calls for immediate action to end child trafficking. Globally, children represent a large percentage of trafficked victims with girls excessively affected. The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP) states that children are twice as likely to experience violence during trafficking as adults. Regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean bear the inadequate brunt by collectively reporting around 60 percent cases of child trafficking.
Besides, children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to trafficking in a combination of risks such as armed conflict, epidemics, economic crises, environmental challenges and the proliferation of online platforms presents additional risks when children often venture into these environments without adequate protection. Traffickers are using online channels, social media and the dark web to recruit and exploit children. Such use of technology helps them evade detection, reach large audiences and distribute unfair information.
The causes of child trafficking:
- The root causes are varied with poverty, inadequate support for unaccompanied children in the rise of migration and refugees, armed conflict, dysfunctional families, poor parental care and particularly, children are often trafficked into forced labour in low-income countries.
- Children are trafficked in various forms, including exploitation for forced labour, crime or begging, trafficking for illegal adoption, recruitment into the military, sexual abuse on the Internet and exploiting them.
Collective national and international efforts are needed to effectively address this issue. States must prioritize child protection, strengthen law enforcement and allocate more resources to combat child trafficking. Civil society organisations, the private sector and communities have important roles in creating awareness about child trafficking, providing support services and recommending policy changes to completely stop this serious violation of human rights.