CHILD TRAFFICKING

TRAFFICKING:-

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is often described as a modern form of slavery. 

CHILD TRAFFICKING:-

Child trafficking can be defined as any person under 18 who is illegally recruited, transported, harbouring or received by threats, force, and coercion or including fear for the purpose of exploitation, either within or outside a country. Child trafficking is a  common malpractice in India. Child Exploitations is done for several reasons.

TYPES OF CHILD TRAFFICKING:- 

FORCED LABOUR:-

The objective of child trafficking is often forced child labour. child labour refers specifically to children under a stipulated minimum age, usually 14 at the lowest, being required to work. UNICEF estimates that,  in 2011, 150 million children age 5 to 14 in developing countries were involved in child labour. Additionally, UNICEF states that current rate indicate that at least 100 million children will still be forced to work but 2020.

Comparative study between domestic child labour rate in urban and rural regions in sub-Saharan Africa reveals that 84.3% of child labourers a working in the rural sector 99.8% of children age 5 to 14 are engaged in child labour for some form of economic activities in this regions. 

Overall, child labour can take many form, 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 adult cannot due to their size. One example for this is within the fishing industry in Ghana. Children can release fish easier from net due to their small hands. Thereby their services are highly demanded and child labor remains a present consequence of child trafficking.

After further investigation of the child labour scandal the hazardous work condition of the GAP company factories were exposed. Children were working in run down and dangerous factories, were victim of abuse and got paid far below minimum wage. In the years that followed similar scandals were revealed in other parts of Asia and Africa.

Secretary general of the United Nation attempted to reduce the number of violations within corporate system in 2011 by implementing the United Nation "protect, respect and remedy" Framework, a report stating the guiding principle on transnational corporations and other business Enterprises and human rights. Report outline three main principles:-

1) The state's existing obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights and fundamental freedoms.

2) The role of business enterprises as specialized organs of society performing specialised functions, required to comply with all applicable laws and to respect human rights.

3) The need for rights and obligations to be matched to appropriate and effective remedies when breached. 

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION:-

The optional protocol on the sale of children, child prosecutions and child pronography is a protocol of the convention on the rights of the child, formally adopted by the UN in 2000.

Essentially, this protocol formally requires states to prohibit the sale of children, child prosecutions, and child pronography. Sexual exploitation of children includes all of the following practices and activities:-

• "The use of girls and boys in sexual activities remunerated in case or in kind ( known as child prostitution) in the street or indoors, in such places as Brothels, massage parlours,  bars, hotels, restaurants, etc.

• "The trafficking of girls and boys and adolescents for the sex trade. "

• "Child sex tourism "

• "The use of children in sex shows (public or private)".

CHILDREN IN ARMED FORCES:-

The optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict is a protocol of the convention on the rights of the child,  formally adopted by the UN in 2000. Essentially, the protocol state that while volunteers below the age of 18 can voluntarily joined Armed forces, they cannot be conscripted. The protocol read "state parties shall take all feasible  measure to ensure that member of their armed force who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct Pant in hostilities.

• Direct roles in hostilities. 

• Supporting roles. 

• For political advantage. 

CHILDREN IN DRUG TRADES:-

Children are also used in drug trade in all regions of the world. Specifically, children are often trafficked into exploitation as either drug courier or dealers,  and then 'paid' in drugs, such that they become addicted and futher entrapped. Due to the illicit nature of drug trafficking, children who are apprehended are often treated as criminals, when in reality they are often the ones in need of legal assistants.

ADOPTION:-

Children may be trafficked for the purpose of adoption, particularly International adoption. children are sourced from orphanages or kidnapped,  parent may be tricked, cajoled or coerced into relinquishing custody. 

Disreputable International adoption agencies then arrange International adoptions, charging high fees to prospective adoptive parents. The Hague convention on the protection of children and co-operation in regard to the intercountry adoption is an international agreement designed to protect children from such exploitation and to assist in preventing such illegal intercountry adoptions.

CHILD BEGGING:-

Forced child begging is a type of begging in which boys and girls under the age of 18 are forced to beg through psychological and physical coercion. Begging is Defined by the buffalo human rights law review as "the activity of asking for money as Charity on the street".

This issue is especially difficult to regulate given that force begging is often imposed by family members, with parental power leveraged over a child to ensure that begging is carried out.

SOLUTION:-

A victim Centered human right approach to combating trafficking has been internationally renowned as a best possible strategy when addressing this issue, with recourse focusing on the punishing the exploiter and rehabilitating the child. some countries who emphasizes method include United state with the victim of trafficking and violence Protection Act 2000  affirming "victims of severe form of trafficking should not be inappropriately incarcerated, fined, or otherwise penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficking.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE:-

First there is intervention on a community level with education on the validity of some of these Quranic institution provided to rural villages that typically send their children there. This is supplemented by improving regulation of school within the nation to ensure that they remained places of education,  followed by a greater enforcement of pre-existing law banning trafficking and Exploitations begging.

NGO INITIATIVE:- 

Many NGO have initiated movement focusing on informing the public on the danger of donations. As recently reported by UNICEF, "certain behaviours, such as giving money to child beggar can also  indirectly motivates traffickers and Controller to demand children".

The mirror foundations stop child begging project of Thailand is one such organisation that emphasizes eliminating the demand. Their initiatives are focused on educating passerby on the force begging of trafficked cambodians within their country to decrease the likelihood of the donations.