Child trafficking: a modern form of slavery
A child victim of trafficking is defined as any person under the age of 18 who is recruited, transported, transferred, sheltered, or received for the purpose of exploitation, whether within or outside a country. Most often, they are bought and then resold to different people, left completely at the mercy of their “employers.” Girls are particularly vulnerable to these practices due to the growing demand in the sex trade.
Several causes can explain child trafficking around the world:
- Poverty
- Lack of education
- Humanitarian crises
- Corruption
- Lack of birth registration
CONSEQUENCES:
Children who are victims of trafficking have many of their fundamental rights violated. They are often subjected to abuse: beatings, rape, deprivation of water, food, healthcare, and freedom — all part of their daily lives. Girls who are forced into marriage or prostitution are particularly exposed to sexually transmitted diseases (such as AIDS) and forced pregnancies. These children are also deprived of their identity, family, leisure, and above all, their right to education. This creates a vicious cycle: without family or education, they lack both the support and the knowledge needed to become independent and free themselves from their “employers.”
A PHENOMENON DIFFICULT TO ASSESS:
To date, no international study has provided a complete overview of the phenomenon. It is extremely difficult to obtain reliable data and figures on human trafficking — especially child trafficking. Victims are often too afraid to testify; some were never registered at birth; and international organizations and NGOs do not use the same definitions or data collection methods.
Moreover, trafficking is part of the so-called “underground economy,” meaning that networks are hidden, extremely difficult to trace, and can move quickly. In the absence of solid data, it is very difficult to implement effective anti-trafficking policies.
On April 16, 1995, nearly fifty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which made the prohibition of slavery an inalienable human right, Iqbal Masih, a young Pakistani boy, was assassinated at the age of 12 for denouncing the slavery he and other children were subjected to. Sold by his parents at the age of four, Iqbal was reduced to child slavery for six years.
Each year on April 16, the World Day Against Child Slavery pays tribute to him and serves as a stark reminder of a sad and terrible reality: slavery still exists, and millions of children around the world remain its victims.[i].
Six main forms of child exploitation, viewed through the lens of children’s rights:
· Child labor ;
· Early or forced marriage ;
· Child soldiers ;
· Sexual exploitation ;
· Domestic exploitation ;
· Environmental exploitation and harm affecting children.
Additional forms include the sale of infants, organ harvesting, forced begging, and forced criminal activity, among others.
CHILD LABOR
Today, 168 million children are engaged in child labor, and 21 million women, men, and children are victims of forced labor.[i].
Child labor now affects 160 million children, increasing for the first time in 20 years (UN News, June 2023).
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly 1 in 10 children worldwide are subjected to child labor. “The worst part is that half of them — 80 million — are involved in the most hazardous forms of child labor. This work poses serious threats to their physical and mental health,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, calling on the international community to promote greater social justice and intensify the fight against child labor.[ii].
An ILO report (2022) already noted a significant rise in the number of children aged 5 to 11 engaged in labor, representing over half of the global total. The number of children aged 5 to 17 performing hazardous work — that is, work likely to harm their health, safety, or moral development — increased by over 6 million since 2016, reaching nearly 80 million.[iii].
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
Each year, Child Focus reports an increase in cases of missing and sexually exploited children. These children do not end up in exploitation by accident. “Last year, we recorded over 1,400 runaway cases. These exploited children are those who decide to leave their homes or the institutions where they live. They are then drawn into prostitution networks, often through teenage pimps or other means.”
In 2023, Child Focus documented 76 cases involving the prostitution of young girls. « They end up in these networks, seeing up to ten clients a day, unable to say no or escape. ».
https://www.rtbf.be/article/exploitation-denfants-en-belgique-child-focus-tire-la-sonnette-dalarme-11347841
What role do social networks play?
« Today, everyone has a smartphone — the average age for a first smartphone is eight. There are many great things online, but also serious risks. People with bad intentions use these technologies to approach children. Grooming cases — when an adult contacts a minor for sexual abuse — are on the rise.».
Sexual blackmail (sextortion) is exploding on social media : «“In most cases, it’s boys blackmailing girls — for money or intimate photos.”
Child Focus is also seeing an increase in young people experiencing psychological distress, which is unprecedented.. “Last year, we received 22,000 calls for psychological support — from parents seeking help or from young people struggling with suicidal thoughts.” A likely correlation?
Child Focus’s message is to encourage young people to talk to a trusted adult. In cases of sextortion, the foundation can help victims have their private images removed from social media.
https://news.un.org/fr/story/2024/02/1142902
(…) Furthermore, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technologies is facilitating the production and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation material in the digital space.
New forms of exploitation now include end-to-end encryption without safety features, computer-generated imagery (CGI) such as deepfakes and deepnudes, live-streaming on demand, and extended reality (XR) abuse content.
According to the 2023 Global Threat Assessment by WeProtect Global Alliance, the volume of reported child sexual abuse material has increased by 87% since 2019. Studies and reports show the growing scale and diversification of online child sexual abuse and exploitation — from sexual harassment, grooming, and extortion to the use of technology-assisted abuse material.
These include the risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse material, solicitation of children for sexual purposes, online sexual harassment, abuse of intimate images, financial sexual extortion, and the use of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
CHILD SOLDIERS
According to UNICEF, nearly 300,000 children worldwide were still involved in armed conflicts in 2023, and almost half of them were girls.
A child soldier is anyone under the age of 18 involved directly or indirectly in an armed conflict. They are not always armed or fighting — many serve as spies, messengers, porters, cooks, looters, medics, or are used as human shields or sex slaves.
This is especially common in non-state armed groups — rebels, guerrillas, terrorists, etc. Some children are abducted or forcibly recruited, while others join “voluntarily,” believing they have no other choice or are deceived by false promises. They are often poor, abused, or separated from their families.[iv].
Between 2005 and 2022, the UN system verified 315,000 grave violations against children in conflict zones — a horrifying figure that illustrates the devastating impact of war on children.[v].
“While boys continue to be disproportionately targeted, girls are also recruited and used by armed forces and groups — often becoming victims of rape and sexual slavery once recruited.”[vi]
FORCED MARRIAGES
The girls most at risk of forced marriage are often the hardest to protect — those from poor families, marginalized groups, or rural areas. Deprived of personal growth and education, they are more likely to remain uneducated. Child marriage further isolates girls from their families, friends, and communities, putting their livelihoods and health in jeopardy.[vii].
A child marriage is any marriage where at least one spouse is under 18. A forced marriage occurs when one or both spouses have not freely and fully consented. Child marriage is therefore considered a form of forced marriage, as minors cannot give full, informed consent.
These practices rob girls and women of control over their lives, undermine their education, increase vulnerability to violence, discrimination, and abuse, and prevent them from fully participating in social, economic, and political life.
Child marriage often leads to early and frequent pregnancies, resulting in higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.
Many girls attempt to flee or commit suicide to escape these unions.[viii].
Over 650 million women alive today were married as children. Each year, at least 12 million girls are married before turning 18 — that’s 28 girls every minute. One in five girls is married or in a union before 18, and in the least developed countries, that number doubles: 40% before 18 and 12% before 15. These practices are particularly widespread in conflict-affected or humanitarian crisis settings. (Source: UNICEF)[ix]
DOMESTIC EXPLOITATION
Child domestic labor is considered a form of exploitation when children work in domestic service for or under an employer or a third-party household. Household chores performed reasonably within one’s own family are not considered child labor. It becomes child domestic labor when the work is performed under the minimum legal age, in hazardous conditions, or in circumstances comparable to slavery.
According to the International Labour Organization, about 152 million children aged 5–17 are engaged in child labor worldwide — roughly 1 in 10 children, or 13 times the population of Belgium. The ILO estimates at least 17.2 million are involved in domestic labor, including 3.7 million in hazardous conditions.
The reasons so many children are forced to work are numerous and interconnected: poverty, debt, natural disasters, conflict, lack of education, demand for cheap labor, discrimination, social inequality, poor access to schooling, and weak education systems — all pushing millions of children into labor every day…[x]
