Jemima Khan interviews a woman who had been trafficked into the UK as a child for the launch of a trafficking report by UNICEF.
Photo: UNICEF UK/03/Steve Gorton
The UN estimates that annually around 1.2 million children are “trafficked” – persuaded, forced or tricked into leaving their own countries. They’re often made to work in “sweatshops” (factories that exploit children), or as prostitutes or slaves in people’s homes. For the criminals involved in global trafficking, the sale of children is big business: the industry generates some £6 billion every year. Human trafficking has become the third biggest criminal business worldwide, after drug smuggling and weapons smuggling.
Children who are trafficked can face years of abuse and exploitation, violence and sexual abuse. Children and adults are lured into trafficking by the promise of a better future. Traffickers prey on vulnerable children, especially those living in poverty.
Parents may believe that their child is being taken abroad for the chance of a better future. For example, ‘Michael’, an 11 year old street child from Albania, was taken to Greece by a neighbour to earn money for his impoverished family. His mother gave her permission after a neighbour had promised to send back around £40 each month. Michael would have to take £10 to his owner each day, by begging. If he did not make his daily quota he would be beaten by the man who ‘owned’ him.
Any child transported for exploitative work is considered to be a trafficking victim. Children may be trafficked to work, but are also recruited as child soldiers, as bonded labour or for forced marriage. Trafficking can expose children to serious health risks, such as HIV and AIDS.
How UNICEF helps
UNICEF believes that one way to stop child trafficking is to make poverty history. This is because poverty leaves children vulnerable. UNICEF works with communities to arm children with education and life skills, to help them to protect themselves and build their own futures. UNICEF also puts pressure on governments to strengthen laws against trafficking, to make sure traffickers are prosecuted, and to take proper care of the victims of trafficking.