Trafficked children used as child labourers:

        Every day, children are bought, sold and transported away from their homes. The trafficking of human beings is a multi billion dollar business that appears to be growing. Our children deserve our best efforts.

“There can be no better measure of our governance than the way we treat our children, and no greater failing on our part than to allow them to be subjected to violence, abuse or exploitation . . . Parliamentarians have the power to alleviate the suffering of millions of children around the world, if only they would use it.” Jessica Lange, UNICEF Ambassador, at the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 110th Assembly in Mexico City, 20 April 2004.

·        According to  ILO global, child labour figures for the year 2000  estimate that 1.8 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry,7 suffering extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence and abuse by traffickers, pimps and ‘customers’. The problem of missing children almost 40 per cent of trafficking originates in AP. Over three million victims of human trafficking(in India) of which 1.2 million are children and also about 60,000 children go missing each year, of which a pathetic 30% are rescued or traced. According to a report published in 2005 ‘Trafficking in Women and Children in India', 44,476 children were reported missing in India. out of which 11,008 children continued to remain untraced. 
    
             India and adjoining countries has, by conservative estimates, three to five lakh girl children in commercial sex and organized prostitution.

 

      
       According to government statistics, there were 1.7 lakh children out of schools, while the number was 3.7 lakh according o non-government organizations.

Andhra Pradesh tops the list in removing children from school with 27 expelled children followed by West Bengal. An estimated 3,497 children, a majority of them girls, went missing last year and only 1,585 were recovered in AP. compounded by factors like illiteracy. Social systems like the Devadasi system also endorse prostitution.

      There is a tendency for the trafficking debate to gravitate into an approach against criminals on the one hand and an approach supporting human rights or protection on the other hand.

Child trafficking and Child labour, violates the human rights guaranteed to children under international law, most notably the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s survival and development are threatened, and their rights to education, health and protection are denied.

    Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking. It is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receiving of children for the purpose of exploitation. 

Purposes of Child trafficking:

     There are various purposes of child trafficking such as labour exploitation, domestic work, sexual exploitation, can take many forms, including forcing a child into prostitution  other forms of sexual activity, or child pornography, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude military conscription, early marriage, Illicit adoption,sport- The use of children as jockeys in camel racing is extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury andeven death, and as or football players, or for recruitment for cults, begging, sell the organs of the children.
  
Impact of trafficking on children:

       Emotional impact: The feelings of shame, guilt and low self- esteem and are frequently stigmatized. They often feel betrayed, especially if the perpetrator was someone they had trusted. These factors as well as the experience itself, can cause nightmares, sleeplessness, feelings of hopelessness and depression. Some children who have been trafficked turn to substance abuse to numb their psychic pain, and others have attempted suicide.

      Physical impact: The Children trafficked into the sex industry are susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. The dangerous and mistaken belief in some countries that sex with a virgin can cure HIV/AIDS has led to even higher demand for young girls. Domestic workers, street children, child labourers and children in detention are vulnerable to rape and sexual exploitation.

      Social impact: The Children who are trafficked typically suffer adverse effects to their social and educational development, they fail to develop their potential. they are victims of physical and emotional violence and abuse, the effects may be life-threatening and long term.

Factors that make children vulnerable

     There are many factors that make victimization include poverty, inequality of women and girls, Low school enrolment children who are not in school can easily fall prey to traffickers. The estimated global number of children not attending school is 121 million; children without caregivers, lack of birth registration children who are not registered are more susceptible to trafficking. It is estimated that 41 per cent of the children born in 2000 were not registered at birth, humanitarian disasters and armed conflict during conflicts, children may be abducted by armed groups and forced to participate in hostilities. They may be sexually abused or raped, demand for exploitative sex and cheap labour, Trafficking and the skyrocketing demand for exploitative labour and sexual services are inexorably linked, traditions and cultural values, lack of the protective and guardian less environment, poor legislation ect.

     The Child trafficking is illegal and extremely harmful, as trafficked children are physically and sexually exploited and abused.  And children themselves have spoken about the harm caused by trafficking and the need for protection. But there is much more to be done to make the elimination of child trafficking a reality.

     Coordinated efforts are needed to stop and prevent child trafficking. Parliamentarians are key players in bridging political, governmental and civil concerns, and in uniting many partners in a common cause. Through specific steps to advance public policy, awareness and response, it is possible to end the scourge of child trafficking, to hold perpetrators of crimes of trafficking of children accountable, and to build a protective environment to keep children safe from harm.

     The Collaboration and Contribution of TAPAS- Trafficking Analysis And Prevention Aiding System is a sincere effort to combating the child trafficking in our country and strengthening the muscles  of the all those facilitators.

References:

1. British-born teenagers being trafficked for sexual exploitation within UK, police say | Society | The Guardian
2. UNICEF Innocenti Report on Child Trafficking in Africa
3. UNICEF Innocenti Report on Child Trafficking in Africa
4. UNODC - Signatories to the CTOC Trafficking Protocol