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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AIDS orphan tourism: A threat to young children in residential care

Linda M. Richter and Amy Norman - Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies: An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Research, Policy and Care, 27 Sep 2010

This article reviews the current discourse on what is being called a crisis of care for children, as well as literature on out-of-home/family care and its adverse impacts on child development. The article also describes an emerging “AIDS orphan tourism” and highlights its negative impacts.

สู่ครอบครัว มิใช่สถานเลี้ยงเด็กกําพร้ (Families, Not Orphanages)

John Williamson and Aaron Greenberg - Better Care Network, 31 Aug 2010

With particular attention to lower income countries, Families, Not Orphanages examines the mismatch between children’s needs and the realities and long-term effects of residential institutions.

Children and Adolescents without Parental Care in Latin America: Contexts, causes, and consequences of being deprived of the right to family

Relaf, 13 Aug 2010

This paper aims to show different organisations, institutions, governments and civil society the reality facing thousands of children in Latin America. This information can be used as a tool for debating and prioritising the issue as well as promoting constructing good practices and public policies that will improve the wellbeing and chances to develop of children without parental care and/or who are at risk of losing

‘The NGOs are breaking down our system’: Vulnerable children, NGOs, and the proliferation of orphanages in Ghana

Afra Galama - Masters' Thesis, Anthropology of Mobility, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 01 Jul 2010

The focus of this thesis is the position of orphans, vulnerable children and orphanages in Ghana in relation to the ‘help’ they receive from western volunteers and NGOs.

Children and adolescents without parental care in Latin America: Contexts, causes and consequences of being deprived of the right to family and community

RELAF and SOS Children’s Villages International, 01 Jun 2010

This paper is based on The Latin American Report: The situation of children in Latin America without parental care or at risk of losing it. Contexts, causes and responses, which was prepared using reports from 13 countries in the region. The paper gives an overview of the state of one of the most fundamental rights - the right to parental care, a keystone for the right to live in a family and a community.

Off the Backs of Children: Forced Begging and Other Abuses against Talibés in Senegal

Human Rights Watch , 01 Apr 2010

Human Rights Watch report on the illicit practices of forced child begging and other abuses perpetrated against children in residential Quranic schools. Includes recommendations to government entities on action needed to reverse abuse and neglect of children in these situations.

Off the Backs of the Children: Forced Begging and Other Abuses against Talibés in Senegal

Human Rights Watch, 01 Apr 2010

This report is based on 11 weeks of field research in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau between November 2009 and February 2010.

Interagency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children: FRENCH VERSION

Interagency Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children , 19 Feb 2010

The Guidelines from the IAWG provide some of the strongest direction for ensuring emergency efforts protect family unity and avoid child-family separation. Where family unity can not be preserved, these guidelines instruct on tracing and family reunification, care arrangements, durable arrangements, special issues related to refugee children, and promotion of children’s rights.

http://www.crin.org/docs/Inter-agency%20Guiding%20Principles%20on%20Unaccompanied%20and%20Separated%20Children_French.pdf

Prevention Programme for Children and Families at Risk

ECPAT International, 12 Feb 2010

Guidance on setting up prevention programs to reduce child protection risks to children and young people, and in particular to prevent commercial sexual exploitation.

U.S. Government and Partners: Working Together on a Comprehensive, Coordinated and Effective Response to Highly Vulnerable Children

USG Secretariat for Orphans and Vulnerable Children , 01 Dec 2009

Provides global estimates of the number of highly vulnerable children; a summary of United States Government (USG) assistance programs for highly vulnerable children; a summary of progress coordinating the response among USG agencies; key strategic issues and opportunities; priorities for 2009–2010 and beyond; and a summary of the results and achievements of USG assistance