Child Exploitation

Child trafficking is a form of child abuse. It is the exploitation of children for economic or sexual purposes, and includes the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of a child for exploitation. Children may be sold, illegally adopted, forced into early marriage, recruited into the armed forces, pushed into prostitution, or trafficked to work in mines, factories, or homes. In such environments they are exposed to extreme forms of abuse and are denied access to basic services and the meeting of their fundamental human rights. Trafficked children often lack basic legal status and support networks, making their condition virtually "invisible."

Children without parental care, living in poverty, and those in high risk environments such as war affected regions, are all highly vulnerable to trafficking. Conflict and post conflict environments pose the greatest risk to children since the breakdown in family and social systems, the increase in poverty, and large numbers of troops present, are all factors which make sexual and economic exploitation of children more common.

Prevention is crucial to reduce the incidence of children affected and includes the registering of all displaced children, and their temporary care until verification and family reunification activities can take place. All children, caretakers, and communities should be educated on the risks to children and protective steps to ensure children do not become separated and exposed to abuse and exploitation. Where possible, unaccompanied children should be placed in regulated and protective family environments such as kinship or foster care.

Governments, the police, border controls, teachers, and all organizations responsible for protection must work together to prevent trafficking, identify those children at risk, advocate for their safety, and prosecute those responsible. This includes awareness raising for communities, institutions, and personnel working with vulnerable groups, such as armed forces, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers.

Support services for children who have been trafficked should include medical, psychosocial, family reunification, and legal elements, to facilitate the reintegration of the child into the community and to enable educational and economic opportunities which are in the child’s best interests.

This section of documents examines the nature of trafficking in more detail, and includes policy and practical information to prevent and respond to child exploitation.

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Cambodia's Stolen Children: Fraud and Corruption in the Inter-Country Adoption System

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), 30 Mar 2018

This report from the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) presents the stories of three Cambodian women whose children had been adopted overseas at different times over the last 15 years and exposes corrupt and fraudulent practices in Cambodia's Inter-country adoption system.

สร้างสรรค์อนาคต ประเทศไทย เกื้อหนุนชีวิตเด็กในแคมป์ก่อสร้าง (Building Futures for Thailand: Support to Children Living in Construction Site Camps)

UNICEF, 23 Mar 2018

This report is based on in-depth interviews with migrant children and parents, real estate and construction companies, government Ministries, and NGOs. It explores the challenges faced by children living in construction site camps, and suggests solutions that can be scaled to foster social responsibility within Thailand’s construction sector.

Building Futures for Thailand: Support to Children Living in Construction Site Camps

UNICEF, 23 Mar 2018

Sexual abuse and exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children in Greece: Identifying risk factors and gaps in services during the European migration crisis

Vasileia Digidiki & Jacqueline Bhabha - Children and Youth Services Review, 26 Feb 2018

The present study explores sexual abuse and exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children in Greece, and the risk factors associated with their occurrence.

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Childhood Interrupted: Children's Voices from the Rohingya Refugee Crisis

Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision International, 24 Feb 2018

This report presents the results of a consultation - organised by Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision International - which surveyed children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh from refugee communities (who identify themselves as Rohingya) and children from host communities.

Whole of Syria Child Protection: 2018 Operational Strategy

Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR), 08 Feb 2018

This report from the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) highlights the child protection needs and responses in Syria and includes objectives and targets for continued child protection interventions and strategies.

The Dark Side of the Internet for Children: Online Child Sexual Exploitation in Kenya - A Rapid Assessment Report

Terre des Hommes Netherlands, 01 Feb 2018

Terre des Hommes Netherlands has conducted this preliminary study to examine if there is evidence of Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE) in Kenya.

Education & Child Protection in Emergencies: Joint Rapid Needs Assessment, Rohingya Refugee Response 2017

UNICEF, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 25 Jan 2018

The main objective of this Joint Rapid Education and Child Protection Need Assessment (JRNA) was to identify education and child protection needs, priorities and capacities of Rohingya boys and girls in the camps, settlements and host community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh to inform and provide the evidence-base for the 2018 Joint Response Plan (JRP).

Statistically Speaking: The Overrepresentation of Foster Youth in Sex Trafficking

Emily Selig - Children's Legal Rights Journal , 2018

This article from Children's Legal Rights Journal discusses the statistics and data regarding foster youth who are commercially exploited for sex, and examines the various reasons why foster care children represent such a large proportion of the victims.

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Orphanage Tourism & Volunteering: A practical resource for schools

Save the Children Australia, World Challenge, ALTO Global Consulting, ReThink Orphanages, 2018

The resources in this packet have been developed to support Australian schools to navigate the complexities of engagement with orphanages and residential care institutions overseas as part of service learning and international study programs.