Children account for a third of identified trafficking victims globally

Child migrants continue to be most vulnerable group in human trafficking, according to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking (ICAT).

To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons (on 30 July), the two agencies urged the international community to implement government policies and cross-border solutions aimed at keeping children safe. They say 28% of the identified trafficking victims globally are children. The situation is worse is sub-Sahara Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, where children account for 64 and 62 percent of identified trafficking victims respectively.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director, said: “Human trafficking is a real threat to millions of children worldwide, especially for children who have to leave their homes and are without protection.”

The UN says human trafficking syndicates are flourishing across Africa, profiting from the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of migrants, as governments on the continent fail to coordinate a response to the problem.

“Trafficking persons is a vile crime that feeds on inequalities, instability, and conflict.  Human traffickers profit from peoples’ hopes and despair. They prey on the vulnerable and rob them of their fundamental rights,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“Human trafficking takes many forms and knows no borders. Human traffickers too often operate with impunity, with their crimes receiving not nearly enough attention, this must change,” he added. The UN chief said the global body is “committed to bringing traffickers to justice while protecting and supporting their victims.”

According to the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, the estimated number of migrant children worldwide reached 36 million in 2017, with Africa hosting 29 percent of them.

TMP – 22/08/2018

Photo caption: Underage migrants on a trafficker’s boat crossing the Mediterranean. Photo credit: Gideon Imadeno/ REPORTER