Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation. Children may also be trafficked for the purpose of adoption.
Child trafficking majorly in Africa is due to population boom and unfavourable economic conditions that aggravate unemployment, hunger, underemployment and insecurity which prompt parents and guardians to seek for better opportunities not minding releasing their kids/wards to people who takes the children to other countries.
Child trafficking thrives in times of conflict and crisis and due to the global pandemic since 2020 child trafficking has been on the rise. 75% of human trafficking victims in west Africa is children and 80% of those victims are trafficked for forced labor in hazardous forms of work As a result of child trafficking the number of school drop outs , children lives risked and children robbed off their childhood is on the high Due to lack of enough knowledge sometimes children are being sold by family members who are moved by false promises of a “better” life.
Child labour can take many forms, including domestic servitude, work in agriculture, service, and manufacturing industries. Also, according to several researchers, most children are forced into cheap and controllable labour, and work in homes, farms, factories, restaurants, and much more.Children are cheap labour and additionally are able to complete jobs that adults cannot due to their size. One example for this is within the fishing industry in Ghana. Children can release fish easier from nets due to their small hands. Thereby their services are highly demanded and child labour remains a present consequence of child trafficking.
"The use of girls and boys in sexual activities remunerated in cash or in kind (commonly known as child prostitution) in the streets or indoors, in such places as brothels, discotheques, massage parlours, bars, hotels, restaurants, etc." "The trafficking of girls and boys and adolescents for the sex trade" "Child sex tourism" "The production, promotion and distribution of pornography involving children" "The use of children in sex shows (public or private)"
Children are often trafficked for the purpose of drug smuggling. They are used for transportation and also as dealers of drugs on the streets. Many times they are given drugs for their work which further enslaves them through addiction. Worse yet children who are used for this type of child trafficking are treated as nothing more than criminals. That means they are victimized twice. Once by traffickers and again by the legal system
Unfortunately a reality of our world is children are taken and used to fill adoption demands. International adoptions are among the most common for child trafficking for the purpose of adoption. Children are taken from homes, orphanages, schools, parks, and other places. While most people imagine unsupervised children as the only vulnerable category, it isn’t accurate. Many parents are coerced, tricked, or threatened into giving up their children. Morally corrupt international adoption agencies are known for sourcing children to charge prospective adoptive parents exorbitant fees. UNICEF has listed that there are around 1,250 infants taken from and adopted out of just Guatemala per year. The mothers of these children may get about 30 dollars and the traffickers will sell these children through illegal adoptions for up to or more than 20,000 dollars.
Victims of trafficking are often deeply traumatized, lacking in the most basic needs, insecure and are at risk for re-trafficking. Due to fear of being stigmatized most victims don't report their cases. Child Protect partners with profesionals and volunteers who help provide basic needs to victims, give the victims mental health help and help families of potential victims trace them and bring them back home.
