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Child trafficking: Meaning, causes, consequences and solutions

Child trafficking: Meaning, causes, consequences and solutions

On June 23, 2022, news broke out that the London Metropolitan Police arrested former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu in the United Kingdom for trafficking a child to the country to harvest his organs for their ailing daughter. While investigations are still ongoing, the incident has highlighted the issue of child trafficking in Nigeria.

According to the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), awareness of trafficking in Nigeria resulted from the publicity generated by the deportation of trafficked persons for prostitution to Europe and the Middle East, which started in 1994. The report also says that most trafficked victims of prostitution are children below the age of 18.

Children are vulnerable, which makes them soft targets for traffickers. So, it’s important to talk about them to help victims and stop other children from becoming victims.

What is child trafficking?

The United Nations defines child trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, and/or receipt of a child for slavery, forced labour, and exploitation. Child trafficking also involves kidnapping a child and forcing him or her into the labour market in another location. It is an international crime in every region of the world with human rights implications.

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Child trafficking in Nigeria

The awareness about trafficking in Nigeria began in the mid-90s, even though incidents began as far back as the 60s. Studies from WOCON show that Nigerian children are the largest victims of trafficking, both internally and externally. The study also estimated that about 12 million Nigerian children are forced into labour, and it could be roughly estimated that about 80 per cent of Nigerian children in forced labour are victims of trafficking.

Discoveries have also shown that most trafficked children are predominantly from South-South states like Akwa Ibom and Cross River and trafficked mostly by sea to Gabon, Cameroon, and Guinea to work on farm plantations. Some victims are also recruited from Saki in Oyo State and trafficked to Guinea, Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire to work as hawkers and domestic servants.

It is clear that most victims of child trafficking in Nigeria are from poor family backgrounds and mostly from rural communities. They are usually transported by sea under deplorable conditions that could be compared to the trans-Atlantic slavery era.

Nigerian children have also been trafficked to European countries and the Middle East for prostitution and sexual exploitation. Research findings from WOCON show that most of the victims sent to European countries like Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and England are from Edo and Delta states. Some victims are from Imo, Enugu, Ogun, Anambra, and Akwa-Ibom.

For the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, Nigerian children are trafficked from the North, particularly Kano, Kwara, and Kaduna states. The usual bait is promising them greener pastures overseas through employment, training, and marriage for a highly valued foreign currency. Those from the North are promised a holy pilgrimage to Mecca and an opportunity to import expensive items into the country. It is also important to note that family members perform active roles in coercing their children into trafficking.

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Causes of child trafficking

Here are six causes of child trafficking:

Poverty

As previously stated, most victims of child trafficking are from poor backgrounds. Some family members also coerce their children into trafficking to escape poverty. For instance, a family can willingly give out their underaged daughter to be trafficked to Europe for prostitution so she can help them financially by sending money back home. Also, some people become traffickers to escape poverty.

Lack of education

Lack of education decreases a person’s chances of finding work that pays above minimum wage. It can also make one not know their fundamental human right. A person who doesn’t know his or her rights and doesn’t have many work opportunities can become a victim or, in this case, turn his or her child into a victim of trafficking.

High demand for cheap labour/sex

Economics will tell you that the higher the demand, the higher the supply. Cheap labour and commercialised sex are in high demand, especially in Europe and the Middle East. This has led to an increase in child trafficking as children are more vulnerable. Traffickers make large profits from the business by selling these children out for a higher price.

Lack of employment opportunities

When parents are unemployed, their children become vulnerable to traffickers, usually with their consent. Out of desperation to escape hunger, they take large sums of money from these traffickers in exchange for their children. Some children, particularly teenagers, take matters into their hands by agreeing to “move abroad” without their family’s knowledge, all in a bid to make money since there are no jobs for them.

Cultural practices

It is common knowledge that people recruit poor children from rural areas to become house helps for richer families in the city. This practice is particularly associated with South-East Nigeria, where poor children are sent to live with families in the cities to be domestic servants in exchange for feeding, accommodation, and sometimes, schooling. It is a form of internal trafficking.

Conflict and wars

When there is constant conflict in an area, the people scramble for survival. Children from conflict zones are particularly vulnerable to kidnapping and trafficking. Desperate parents also give their consent as they will do anything to survive.

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Types of child trafficking

There are various types of child trafficking, and they are:

  • Sex trafficking is when children are sent to other locations for prostitution.
  • Forced marriage is where children are forced to marry undesirable older individuals in exchange for money and care.
  • Forced labour in which a child is trafficked to another location to engage in domestic service, shop attendant, catering service, head loading, bakery- hands, hawking, etc.
  • Criminal activities where children are recruited to commit crimes such as pickpocketing, robbery, terrorism, etc.
  • Domestic slavery means trafficked children are turned into slaves for various homes.

Child trafficking statistics

According to the UN, almost 20 per cent of all trafficking victims are children worldwide. Most of these children come from Africa, with West Africa claiming the 100 per cent majority.

Also, a report from World’s Children states that children are four times more likely to be trafficked for labour than sex. There are an estimated 168 million child labourers worldwide, with children forced into hazardous works that affect their physical, emotional, or social well-being.

Sixty-six per cent of child trafficking victims are girls, according to Save the Children. These girls are mostly from poor homes and are forced to drop out of school. The result is that they are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

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Consequences of child trafficking

There are physical, psychological, and social consequences of child trafficking.

Physical consequences

  • Trafficked children are often forced to travel under difficult circumstances via sea or difficult desert terrains. This can lead to exhaustion and death.
  • They are forced into labour as hawkers and house helps, where they are often subjected to physical abuse.
  • Trafficked children are also victims of sexual abuse where they risk contracting HIV/AIDS and STDs.

Psychological consequences

  • Child trafficking can lead to retardation in the victim’s life.
  • Trafficked children are often depressed and ashamed of their lives. There is a high risk of suicide as a means to escape their terrible circumstances.
  • They are afraid to speak out since the transaction is public, and they are forced to swear oaths not to expose their traffickers.
  • Trafficked children may end up becoming traffickers themselves and a nuisance to society.

Social consequences

  • The girls are not respected in society no matter how rich they are.
  • These girls may never marry as no man wants to marry a prostitute, even a wealthy one.
  • Trafficked children are never given the opportunity for formal education.
  • Their activities bring shame to the families should they be exposed.

Solutions to child trafficking

  • Raise awareness about child trafficking and its consequences to the people, especially in vulnerable communities.
  • Access to good education, good health, and social welfare should be available to children.
  • Parents should be gainfully employed so they won’t be tempted to give out their children for trafficking.
  • The government should create, implement and enforce laws against trafficking.
  • The government should also work with other governments and private sectors to address, intercept and prosecute traffickers and criminal networks that transcend national borders.

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Nonye is a Thespian, screenwriter, creative writer and an unapologetic lover of books, great movies and sports. She has over 10 years experience in content writing on entertainment, movies, sports and lifestyle. Nonye is currently a content writer at Blackdot Media and founder of litafrik.com
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