Child Trafficking
Most international organizations and national laws recognize that children may legally engage in light work. There is a growing consensus, however, that the worst forms of child labor should be eradicated. The sale and trafficking of children and their entrapment in bonded and forced labor are among the worst forms of child labor. Any child who is subject to involuntary servitude, debt bondage, peonage, or slavery through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, is a victim of human trafficking regardless of the location of that exploitation. Indicators of possible forced labor of a child include situations in which the child appears to be in the custody of a non-family member who has the child perform work that financially benefits someone outside the child’s family and does not offer the child the option of leaving.
To reduce vulnerabilities that make children susceptible to trafficking, UNICEF assists governments in strengthening laws, policies and services including legislative review and reforms, establishing minimum labor standards, and supporting access to education. UNICEF also works with communities to change norms and practices that exacerbate children’s vulnerabilities to trafficking.
Protecting trafficked children requires timely victim identification, placing them in safe environment, providing them with social services, health care, psychosocial support, and reintegration with family and community, if it is proven to be in their best interest. UNICEF assists by supporting training of professionals working with children including social workers, health workers, police and border officials to effectively deal with trafficking. Additionally, UNICEF supports governments in setting standards in dealing with child trafficking such as developing and training responsible personnel on child friendly interviewing techniques.