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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Let's Talk: Developing Effective Communications with Child Victims of Abuse and Human Trafficking

Barbara Mitchells, UNICEF, Kosovo Office , 2004

Practice guidance on how to communicate with children and young people who have experienced sexual, physical or emotional abuse.

Foster Care and Schooling in West Africa: The State of Knowledge

Marc Pilon, 2003

Explores the relationship between fostering and education in West Africa. Identifies special need to focus on protecting and educating young girls.

Rights, Root Causes, and Recruitment: The Youth Factor in Africa's Armed Conflicts

Angela McIntyre, 2003

Documents ways in which youth are mobilized to support political and military agendas, and how the construct of youth has been employed for political change.

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Save the Children's Policy on Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Save the Children Alliance, 2003

A policy paper that presents a holistic view of child sexual abuse and exploitation examining all the situations where children are sexually abused.

Separated Children In Europe Programme: Workshop on Age Assessment and Identification

Kate Halvorsen, 2003

Summary of a workshop to address age assessment, identification and reception of separated children to promote guardianship, family tracing and reunification. Focuses on Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Children at Risk: Practical Approaches to Addressing Child Protection in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam

Laurence Gray, 2003

Discusses approaches to protecting at-risk children in five Asian countries. Identifies programming and policy measures that effectively address child abuse. Emphasis on committing all levels of society to coordinated practical response.

Preventing Child Exploitation on the Streets in the Philippines

Teresita Silva, 2002

Highlights the work of Childhope Asia Philippines and Families and Children for Empowerment and Development in helping street children living in and around Manila.

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"We Will Bury Ourselves:" A Study of Child-Headed Households on Commercial Farms in Zimbabwe

Farm Orphan Support Trust (FOST) of Zimbabwe, 2002

A report of an action research study done by Farm Orphan Support Trust of Zimbabwe (FOST), to learn about the problems of child-headed households on commercial farms in Mashonaland Central and Manicaland provinces. The report includes the problems indentified and some recommendations for interventions, such as integration of psycho-social support and provision of material needs.

All Our Children: Human Rights and Children of the Street

Jonathon Rose, 2002

Brief article arguing for doctors to take a lead role in caring for children on the street. Suggests that physicians could provide direct patient care, advocacy for children's rights, and leadership for reform at the community and national level.

Floating Children in China: The Problems of Street, Migrating, Trafficked Children, Out of School and Out of Place

Andy West, 01 Jun 2001

Examines the emergence of children living and working on the streets in China. Disaggregates 'street children' as a phenomenon by outlining the underlying causes for their situations. Compares adult perceptions of 'street children' with the children's own perspectives.