Today, June 30, International Day Against Trafficking in Persons is celebrated. Its purpose? Raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and promote and protect their rights. And even today, in 2018 it is still necessary, and even more in the case of children, the most vulnerable population.
From the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) remember that1.2 million children are victims every year of this nightmare, according to the World Report on Trafficking in Persons, prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
And they warn that the figures could be even more devastating, since they are based on data provided by the authorities of the countries in which it is produced.
From UNICEF explain that trafficking "It is a millionaire business that violates the human rights of children and adolescents, protected by international law, especially by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ”.
This 1989 treaty refers to child trafficking in subsection 1 of Article 11, which stipulates that “illegal transfer and illegal retention of children” are prohibited.
What is child trafficking?
In the absence of a universal definition, we adopt UNICEF's
"A child victim of trafficking is any person under 18 years of age recruited, transported, transferred, received or received for exploitation purposes, whether inside or outside a given country."
The most unprotected children in 2018
According to ICAT and UNICEF:
The children are even more victims of trafficking identified in sub-Saharan Africa and Central America and the Caribbean”: 64 and 62 percent, respectively.
The Refugee, migrant and displaced children are especially vulnerable to trafficking Whether they escape war and violence or pursue better education and employment opportunities, very few find routes to migrate regularly and safely with their families.
The international NGO Humanium identifies some general causes that lead children to be immersed in human trafficking: poverty, which forces families to migrate to other countries; humanitarian crises, which leave children orphaned and even more helpless; lack of education; the lack of registration of many births; Lack of tough legislation in many countries against traffickers ...
But also, children are a very lucrative business
They are sold in order to be used for sexual exploitation or prostitution, to ask for alms or for forced marriages.
They risk their lives working in construction sites or in factories, or are employed as domestic service personnel.
They are given for a considerable sum of money to parents who want to adopt.
The sale of children's organs is increasingly frequent. Of the kidney transplants performed a year worldwide, between 5 and 10 percent come from the illegal sale of organs.
Solutions?
Although more than 90% of countries around the world criminalize trafficking in persons, much remains to be done, since the United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons came into force in 2003.
On the other hand, in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, urging governments around the world to defeat this scourge. Its objective is to integrate the fight against trafficking into UN programs for the promotion of global development and security reinforcement.
The “Guide for the protection of the rights of children victims of trafficking” proposes a series of good practices regarding the protection and assistance of child victims of trafficking: from the initial identification step to the integration and recovery of the child .
The objective is to provide action guides on the development of protection procedures to governments, international organizations and NGOs. But it's not enough.
Some of the solutions proposed by the UN anti-trafficking body, ICAT:
Strengthen protection systems in countries of origin, transit and destination to prevent, identify, refer and address cases of trafficking, violence, abuse and exploitation against children, including unaccompanied persons and children with disabilities.
Avoid measures that can push children to choose riskier routes and to migrate alone.
Expand legal routes and safe for children to migrate with their families.
Accelerate the resolutions of refugee status.
Address obstacles in law and practice that prevent children from reuniting with their families.
Improve cross-border collaboration (…), law enforcement by child protection authorities and implement faster family search and reunification processes, as well as alternative care measures for children without parental care.
Strengthen social and child protection systems to avoid, identify, derive and address cases of trafficking, violence, abuse and exploitation against children and respond to them based on specific needs based on their age and gender.
In view of the reports there is still a long way to go and it is up to everyone to end this international scourge that attacks children. Why not start today, International Trafficking Day, to defend your childhood, an unrecognized right for many minors?
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