Metropolitan Model United Nations Conference XLII UNICEF

Child Trafficking and Exploitation

No part of the world is untouched by the trafficking of children. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) defines this scourge in a straightforward manner: A child has been trafficked if he or she has been moved within a country, or across borders, whether by force or not, with the purpose of exploiting the child. UN protocols against trafficking define a child as any person under the age of 18, unless national law sets a younger age of majority. Statistics regarding trafficking are difficult to acquire due to illegal means of transportation and unreported incidents. However, UNICEF estimates that a total of 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. Exploitation includes slavery, all practices similar to slavery, and all forms of labor done by children under the minimum legal age. Children are trafficked to become child soldiers, to be forced into begging, for irregular adoptions, and for the sale of their organs. Sexual exploitation includes cases in which a child accepts money or any other consideration in exchange for acts of sex and then passes that payment unto another person who benefits from the childs act. Sexual exploitation thus includes prostitution, child pornography, and forced marriage. Sex trafficking is most common form of trafficking. It is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world and the fastest growing business in the criminal world. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that children make up 21% of forced sexually exploited labor in the private economy. Trafficked children fall into three general age brackets: 1) Babies and toddlers are bought and sold in irregular adoptions. 2) Prepubescent children are usually trafficked for their labor, not for sexual exploitation. For example, young children become live-in servants in West Africa, or beggars in Albania and other parts of Europe. 3) Adolescent girls (and some boys) ages 15, 16, and 17. These almost adults labor in sweatshops or as domestics. Most children of this age are, however, trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Sexual violence against these children occurs in every stage of their trafficking, as traffickers use rape and abuse to control them. The trafficking of children is a major human rights violation with a tremendously wide scope. Trafficking deprives child victims of exercising a wide range of rights, including the right to preserve his of her identity, the right to education, to healthcare, to rest and leisure as well as the right not to be subjected to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and not to be deprived of liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. 3 Trafficking happens in distinct steps or phases, beginning with the abduction or purchase of a child. The goal of any program to address trafficking must be to rescue the child, help him or her recover and reintegrate him or her into society. The trafficking phases are summarized below.
Recruitment and transportation, etc. Recovery, and possible reintegration into society

Exploitation

Withdrawal/ Rescue

Different types of physical and psychological harm occur at different phases of trafficking. During recruitment, some children may leave home peacefully. However, many children experience violence or are drugged when they are abducted to secure obedience. Children who are moved illegally from one country to another face all the dangers to migrants being smuggled. The traffickers, police, and other officials all may threaten these children with harm, sometimes because the children are not recognized as victims. Additionally, they are given new identities and lost their old ones during the transit process. During the exploitation phase, harm depends on the form or forms of exploitation to which the children are subjected. Young children who are removed from their homes have their socialization and education halted, leaving a permanent mark on the child. Some of the harmful consequences of the Exploitation Phase are listed below: Coercion to make the child obey orders: rape, torture, beatings, etc. Programmed to fear police and other adults who may be able to help Programmed to be obedient Self-harm including cutting and suicide Disease, injury, and health problems o Malnutrition, stunted growth, dental problems, developmental delays o Infectious diseases o Infections or mutilations o Injuries and conditions related to working in dangerous conditions Vision and hearing problems Respiratory illness Muscular and joint pain Exhaustion Psychological effects of captivity and powerlessness Specific effects of commercial sexual exploitation, sexual violence, and unprotected sex: o Children in a brothel face the possible effects of drugs, alcohol, and other substance abuse o Sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/AIDS o Unwanted pregnancy Even after children are rescued and withdrawn from the exploitation, they may still experience further abuse. Traffickers often try to regain control of the victims or intimidate them so that they do not talk to police. Some trafficked children experience more abuse from family members or the community when they return home. It is important to remember that their own family members originally sold some children to traffickers. It may also be impossible to reunite children particularly very young ones -- with their families, as they may have no knowledge or memory of where home actually is. It is crucial for this committee to acknowledge that every country in the world plays some part in trafficking. Some nations are countries of origin, in other words, suppliers to child victims. Others are transit countries through which victims pass. Finally, there are

destination countries to which victims are moved for the exploitation phase. Some nations play two or even three roles in the chain of child trafficking. The fact that trafficking is a series of distinct acts recruiting a child, moving a child, and exploiting a child often crossing international borders makes solutions to the problem difficult. Trafficking has been identified as a serious concern in countries such as Nigeria, Mali, South Sudan, Greece, Syria, Nepal, Tibet, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Children are trafficked from less developed areas like Southeast Asia, East Asia, East Africa, Central America and the former Soviet Union to more developed regions including North America, Western Europe, and the Middle East. UNICEF recognizes that child trafficking must be addresses from several angles: prevention, protection, and prosecution: PREVENTION: Poverty is key to understanding the root causes of child trafficking, and economic development is essential to preventing this criminal business. Impoverished and desperate families who lack other economic opportunities may see their children as commodities to be sold. Unemployed or low-wage workers may turn to kidnapping children in order to earn enough to survive themselves. On average, two children are sold in every minute. Thus, human trafficking is immensely profitable, attracting adults to form or join crime syndicates to become full-time traffickers. Children who lack minimal education, face poverty, and have few occupation al opportunities are most vulnerable to the trafficking chain. Armed conflict also increases the risk of child trafficking, as do natural disasters. There have already been reports of child trafficking in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, as there were after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Addressing poverty, a lack of education, and limited economic opportunities must be part of any long-term solutions. But just as important is the role of legal systems, police, immigration officials, border guards, and local and national governments in preventing the kidnapping, movement, and exploitation of children. PROTECTION: The protection of children once identified and rescued from their traffickers or exploiters is a second crucial aspect of the problem. UNICEF and the High Commissioner for Human Rights advocate that all anti-trafficking programs adhere to the principles of a child rights approach. After removal from trafficking situations, children remain vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. Authorities and agencies who work with trafficked children must be certain that they do not further harm the child through abuse, aggressive interrogation, neglect, or lack of training and expertise in dealing with children. UNICEF has worked to create detailed guidelines for the protection of trafficked children (See Sources), but individual countries and agencies need support for implementing these guidelines. Ensuring that victims receive justice, restoring their dignity and providing the education they missed while victimized, must also be central in anti-trafficking programs. PROSECUTION: Prosecution of child traffickers is the third aspect of this problem. Prosecution is made more difficult by the fact that trafficking almost always involves more than once legal jurisdiction. Most victims are trafficked across international borders, with the remainder begin moved within their own country of origin. Several UN Protocols address child trafficking (See Sources). It is disappointing, however, that many countries have not yet agreed to these protocols or enacted laws against trafficking. The UN cannot

force countries to write, pass, and enforce such legislation, but surely, international pressure must be applied. UNICEF continues to work with various governments to advocate for stronger legislation and policy reform. As child trafficking is a complex problem, its elimination will call for complex solutions. The committees must address all four phases of trafficking: Recruitment and transport, exploitation, withdrawal/rescue, and recovery/reintegration. The committee must also look at prevention, protection, and prosecution at each of these phases. Specific areas of focus for this committee may include: Identification of trafficked children Interim care and protection Victim/witness security and protection Rehabilitation and long-term care of victims of trafficking

Child trafficking not only affects the victim and their family but also society as a whole. The psychological toll the community bears is nothing short of arduous. Safety has always been a key aspect of a strong and healthy community, thus working to lessen the evils of this crime is in everyone's best interest. UNICEF condemns these actions and strongly urges the cooperation of the global community in enacting a strategic initiative to combat child trafficking and sexual violence. Questions to Consider: 1. How extensive is the problem of child trafficking in your country? 2. Where does your country fit into the chain of trafficking as a country of origin, a transit country, a destination country, or more than one? 3. What policies or legislation has your country implemented to address the issue of child trafficking and sexual violence? How effective are these policies? 4. What initiative at work in other countries might help your country deal with child trafficking? 5. What additional legal, political, social, and economic resources does your country need to address child trafficking? Resources: http://www.humantrafficking.org/organizations/299 http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_introduction.html http://www.endhumantraffickingnow.com/quick-facts-about-human-trafficking/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-harden/eight-facts-you-didntknow_b_4221632.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ludy-green-phd/malaysia-economic-growth_b_3663863.html