Abstract
In organ transplantation, the demand for human organs has grown far faster than the supply of organs. This has opened the door for illegal organ trade and trafficking including from children. Organized crime groups and individual organ brokers exploit the situation and, as a result, black markets are becoming more numerous and organized organ trafficking is expanding worldwide. While underprivileged and vulnerable men and women in developing countries are a major source of trafficked organs, and may themselves be trafficked for the purpose of illegal organ removal and trade, children are at especial risk of exploitation. With the confirmed cases of children being trafficked for their organs, child organ trafficking, which once called a “modern urban legend”, is a sad reality in today’s world. By presenting a global picture of child organ trafficking, this paper emphasizes that child organ trafficking is no longer a myth but a reality which has to be addressed. It argues that the international efforts against organ trafficking and trafficking in human beings for organ removal have failed to address child organ trafficking adequately. This chapter suggests that more orchestrated international collaboration as well as development of preventive measure and legally binding documents are needed to fight child organ trafficking and to support its victims.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asian Task Force. 2008. Recommendations on the prohibition, prevention and elimination of organ trafficking in Asia. http://www.law.ntu.edu.tw/center/wto/04research.asp?tb_index=403. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
Bagheri, A. 2007. Asia in the spotlight of international organ trade: Time to take action. Asian Journal of WTO and International Health Law and Policy 2(1): 11–24.
Bagheri, A., and F. Delmonico. 2013. Global initiatives in tackling organ trafficking and transplant tourism. Journal of Medicine, Healthcare and Philosophy. doi:10.1007/s11019-013-9493-1.
Budiani-Saberi, D.A., and F.L. Delmonico. 2008. Organ trafficking and transplant tourism: A commentary on the global realities. American Journal of Transplantation 8(5): 925.
Budiani-Saberi, D.A. 2012. Human trafficking for and organ removal: A call for prevention, protection, investigations and accountability. Briefing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission United States Congress, 23 January 2012. http://cofs.org/home/publications/. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
Coalition for Organ-Failure Solution Report. 2011. Sudanese victims: evidence-based findings on African victims of organ trafficking in Egypt: COFS calls for investigations and accountability. Washington D.C. and Cairo. http://cofs.org/home/sudanese-victims/. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. 2005. http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/197.htm. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
Council of Europe Convention. 1997. Convention on human rights and biomedicine. http://www.coe.int/bioethics. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
Council of Europe Additional Protocol. 2002. Additional protocol to the convention on human rights and biomedicine concerning transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin. http://www.coe.int/t/DGHL/STANDARDSETTING/CDPC/PC_TO_en.asp. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
Council of Europe. 2005. Action against trafficking in human being. http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/default_en.asp. Also see, the United States government action against human trafficking. https://www.dhs.gov/human-trafficking-victim-assistance-program. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
De Castro, L. 2013. The declaration of Istanbul in the Philippines: Success with foreigners but a continuing challenge for local transplant tourism. Journal of Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. doi:10.1007/s11019-013-9474-4.
Delmonico, F.L. 2009. The hazards of transplant tourism. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 4: 249–250.
Delmonico, F.L., D.G. Beatriz, R. Matesanz, and L. Noel. 2011. A call for government accountability to achieve national self-sufficiency in organ donation and transplantation. The Lancet 378(9800): 1414–1418.
Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation. 2014. Global activity in organ transplantation report of 2012. http://www.transplant-observatory.org/Documents/Data%20Reports/Basic%20slides%202012.pdf. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
Istanbul Declaration. 2008. Declaration of Istanbul on organ trafficking and transplant tourism. http://www.declarationofistanbul.org/. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
Joint Council of Europe/United Nations Study. 2009. Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal of organs. http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Docs/News/OrganTrafficking_study.pdf. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
Leventhal, Tood. 1994. Child organ trafficking rumor: A modern urban legend. A report submitted to the United Nations special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, by the United States Information Agency. Dec 1994.
Morelli, M.N. 1995. Organ trafficking: Legislative proposals to protect minors. American University International Law Review 10(2): 917–954.
Padilla, B., G.M. Danovitch, and J. Lavee. 2013. Impact of legal measures prevent transplant tourism: The interrelated experience of the Philippines and Israel. Medicine Health Care and Philosophy: DOI. doi:10.1007/s11019-013-9473-5.
Rothman, D.J. et al. 1997. The Bellagio task force report on transplantation, bodily integrity and the international traffic in organs. Transplant Proceedings. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041134597005770.
Scheper-Hughes, N. 2008. Illegal organ trade: Global justice and the traffic in human organs. In Living donor organ transplants, ed. R. Grussner, and E. Bedeti, 107–121. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Secretary-General Report. 2006. Report to the commission on crime prevention and criminal justice, on preventing, combating and punishing trafficking in human organs, 21 February 2006, E/CN.15/2006/10, paragraph 82. http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/docs/2004/resolution%202004-22.pdf. Also see, http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/2008/BP011HumanTraffickingfortheRemovalofOrgans.pdf. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
UN Report. 1993. Rights of the child, sale of children: Report by Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn, special rapporteur, commission on human rights, 49th session, agenda item 24, at 221 127, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/67.
UN Convention. 2000. The United Nations convention against transnational organized crime. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/index.html. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
UN Protocol. 2000. United Nations protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Supplementing the United Nations convention against transnational organized crime. http://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNTOC/Publications/TOC%20Convention/TOCebook-e.pdf. Last visited 14 Aug 2015.
UN Optional Protocol. 2000. United Nations optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. (General assembly resolution A/RES/54/263 of 25 May 2000). http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/OPSCCRC.aspx. Last 29 Aug 2015.
UN Report 2014. Global report on trafficking in persons. New York: United Nations Publications. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/glotip.html.
UNESCO Declaration. 2005. Universal declaration on bioethics and human rights. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/bioethics/bioethics-and-human-rights/. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
UNESCO Report. 2014. UNESCO report on the principle of non-discrimination and non-stigmatization. 2014. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002211/221196E.pdf. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
UNHCR Report 2012. Reported cases such as Eritrean refugees kidnapped and killed for the traffic of organs in Sudan. http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/eritrean-refugees-kidnapped-killed-unhcr-chief.
WHO Guiding Principles. 2010. World Health Organization guiding principles on human cell, tissue and organ transplantation. http://www.who.int/transplantation/Guiding_PrinciplesTransplantation_WHA63.22en.pdf. Last visited 29 Aug 2015.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bagheri, A. Child organ trafficking: global reality and inadequate international response. Med Health Care and Philos 19, 239–246 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-015-9671-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-015-9671-4