Posted: August 11th, 2022

Reducing the Incidences of Child Trafficking

Reducing the Incidences of Child Trafficking

Abstract
Child trafficking is now emerging as a global issue, with almost all countries being affected. The trafficking of vulnerable children is a violation of their rights to being protected from exploitation, getting an education, playing, having proper health levels, and having a family life. The challenge has been present for many years to grow in all continents and across all cultures. To this effect, it is prudent that the proper mitigation and elimination strategies are implemented to prevent this constant violation. This research looked into the child trafficking challenges and suggested implementing a multi-agency framework as a mitigation strategy.
Introduction
The trafficking of people, either men, women, or children, remains unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances in which it happens. Despite the calls to end this vice, human trafficking remains among the topmost challenges within the global society (Boonpala & Kane, 2002). Specifically, child trafficking is now emerging as a global issue, with almost all countries being affected. The trafficking of vulnerable children is a violation of their rights to being protected from exploitation, getting an education, playing, having proper health levels, and having a family life (Boonpala & Kane, 2002). The challenge has been present for many years to grow in all continents and across all cultures.
For some nations, the problem happens within their territorial boundaries and remains fundamentally a national matter. On the other hand, many countries consider it an issue that crosses borders and regions (Boonpala & Kane, 2002). The child victims are commonly separated from their families and communities to go and do sex work, among other exploitative forms of work. They are exposed to the risk of being abused, exploited, and traumatized due to the accumulation of a violation of their rights. Notably, numerous stakeholders have increased their strong will to take measures to combat the challenge and bring it to a speedy halt. Nonetheless, it is prudent to note that child trafficking is a complex phenomenon with no simple measures. This research will look into feasible ways that could aid in reducing the incidences of child trafficking.
Literature Review
According to Todres (2010), the global community has made several agreements to respond to the grave violations of children’s rights through trafficking and commercial; sexual exploitation. These agreements required governments to criminalize and prosecute all actions related to trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children. The governments are to offer assistance to the child victims of the crimes and establish successful prevention programs (Todres, 2010). From the alternatives, it is evident that prevention was not chosen as a starting point to develop an effective response to the challenge. Currently, most governments focus less on the prevention end goal and try to combat child trafficking through legislation that prohibits the abuses and increases the sentences for the criminals. Many countries have made real progress in this regard but still allocate limited resources to the child victims. Notably, the countries have failed in having comprehensive prevention strategies that will prevent the crime from happening instead focus on dealing with the exploitation of children after the harm has happened (Todres, 2010).
The reduction of child trafficking incidences requires identifying its root causes, considering this complex phenomenon is demand-driven. According to Boonpala & Kane (2002), child trafficking happens because there is a market for children in the labor and sex trade fields, which is matched by an abundant supply of children. These children will primarily come from poor families; hence they are easy to prey as they look for greener pastures. Complementing these supply and demand forces fostering child trafficking is infrastructure and trends affiliated with the rapidly globalized world, permeated borders, better transport, and increased migration trends (Boonpala & Kane, 2002). Globalization has offered the propulsion for those who wish to migrate and those willing to traffic those that are not willing. The United Nations indicated that over 2% of the world population are on the move at any given time.
The OSCE (Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator) (2018) indicated that apart from imposing respective laws, the state authorities will need to ensure that the authorities mandated to ensure children’s rights are upled play a leading role such as having clear decision-making points on policies practices and decisions related to children rights in the context of global migration. This should also apply to the foreign children trafficked to a country other than their birth country, and the children who have migrated intentionally then are later on trafficked (OSCE, 2018). The best interests assessments need to be done by actors independent of migration authorities and in a multi-disciplinary manner. This will include meaningful participation of the responsible authorities for child protection and welfare among other relevant actors such as the parents and guardians. Nevertheless, even with the proper laws and regulations that will ensure these authorities make the right decisions about trafficked children (OSCE, 2018. The fact that the child protection system involves many actors will pose a challenge. Bureaucracy and the lack of empathy of some actors, especially when asking questions, could traumatize the child and make them feel powerless. This could, however, be handled by reducing the number of different officials that the children will need to interact with as they share their encounters.
Discussion
Considering the complex nature of child trafficking, a multi-agency approach will be required to handle the complex and interrelated issues created by child trafficking. A checklist tool will be developed to develop this approach as it will outline the primary steps to be taken in the approach (UNODC, 2008). The tool also suggests the protocols and memorandums of understandings guiding the different agencies hence providing a solid foundation to build the collaboration. Also, the expertise required in dealing with the challenge effectively and the several needs of the victims will require a collaboration of experts in the matter, with every related initiative in the country being related to the multi-agency approach (UNODC, 2008). The police alone cannot reduce the incidence of child trafficking; however, working with social workers, the migration offices, educationalists, among other stakeholders, should guide them in having the right interventions to guide them towards the desired goals.
In this case, the development of the framework will entail:
● An identification of the key contacts and agency representatives.
● Setting up personal links between the different agency contracts.
● Development of multi-agency training.
● A joint assessment of the local priorities.
● Development strategies and action place.
● Sharing of intelligence and data.
● Starting by working in the protocols for joint working
● Agreements on the management structures and processed for further developments of the multi-agency approach
● Establishing strong and effective leadership for the partnerships is fundamental to the success of the approach.
The multi-agency and multi-disciplinary strategy to prevent, recognize and intervene against child trafficking needs all professionals to interact with the victims to get proper training on the vice and the victim-centered, trauma-informed model. The services for the victims typically entail a substantial role in child protective services. These agencies will all have all the required funds they can get, human resources, among other resources, to foster their ability to meet the problem of providing a safe and supportive environment for the survivors (Greenbaum et al., 2018). Other essential workers that will need the training and resources include social workers, health professionals, and those offering foster care services as their engagements will be required extensively in the areas where the survivors of child trafficking are more likely to be detained by the immigration authorities. Their workers will need appropriate training to ensure that victims are adequately identified.
Apart from implementing respective laws and policies that prohibit all forms of exploitation, the provision of required funds to prevent child trafficking is required. This will cover the proper legal protections and services for highly vulnerable children such as the unaccompanied migrant minors, the abused and neglected children in the society, and the homeless children regardless of the reasons behind their situation (Greenbaum et al., 2018). Prevention and elimination of child trafficking need the legal, political and social will that will dedicate adequate and proper resources that deal with the root causes of exploitation, This will entail having laws, policies, and programs that will ensure families are strengthened, violence is explicitly reduced gender-based violence, economic and social rights are secured, the capacity for communities to provide for its residents is boosted, and economies are built to foster self-sufficiency and success among individuals.
Conclusion
The emerging global challenge of child trafficking requires proper strategies to mitigate and eliminate it since more children are constantly having their rights violated. Considering child trafficking is a complex phenomenon. Numerous agencies must bring in their efforts towards one multi-agency framework that will guide on fighting the challenge; the involved stakeholders should be equipped with the proper knowledge, skills, and resources to guide in their activities.

References
Boonpala, P., & Kane, J. (2002).Child trafficking and action to eliminate it. International Labor Organization. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/files/childtrafficking.pdf
Greenbaum, V. J., Yun, K., & Todres, J. (2018). Child trafficking: Issues for policy and practice. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(1), 159-163.
OSCE (Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator). (2018). CHILD TRAFFICKING AND CHILD PROTECTION: Ensuring that Child Protection Mechanisms Protect the Rights and Meet the Needs of Child Victims of Human Trafficking. retrieved from https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/8/6/405095_0.pdf
Todres, J. (2010). Taking prevention seriously: Developing a comprehensive response to child trafficking and sexual exploitation. Vand. J. Transnat’l L., 43, 1.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna International Ctr, & Austria. (2008). Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

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