Sexual and Commercial Trafficking of Children

Abstract

Universally recognized as a form of modern slavery, each year millions of human beings are taken from their homes to be economically exploited in distant lands. An unknown portion of these victims are children, often of quite tender age. Estimates on how many such children are to be found throughout the world are presented along with a discussion of the underlying causes of this kind of victimization. In some cases, children are trafficked as a cheap source of exploitable labor. But most often trafficked children are forced into prostitution, kept in bondage to satisfy the lust of their pedophile patrons and the greed of their “traffickers/owners.” Focus is directed to the victims as well as the victimizers involved in the worldwide trafficking business. The ways victimizers recruit and control their victims are described. All trafficked children suffer many kinds of abuse while being trafficked and during their period of forced labor. Most are scarred for life as a result. Specific attention is given to the health hazards trafficked children experience, especially those forced into prostitution. Most of these children never see their homes again, some dying as a consequence of their enslavement. National and international laws, and their un-enforcement, governing the trafficking of human beings are described. Considerable attention is given to various international and local efforts that aim at preventing the trafficking of children and helping those who have been victimized.