Strategies That Could Prevent Child Trafficking From Occurring

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Sexual exploitation of a minor occurs when a person records, films, photographs, duplicates, and develops any form of illustration, which shows a child engaging in sexual conduct or exploitative depiction of sexual activity. Besides, an act is categorized as the sexual exploitation of a minor when a person knowingly distributes, transports, sells, purchases, possesses, and transmits depictions of a child being involved in sexual conduct. The act is considered a crime when the person knows what they are doing. Under the law, a minor is someone who is under the age of eighteen. Sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony categorized as class two. Sexual exploitation of a minor has a myriad of crimes contained within it, which include child pornography, child prostitution, and child trafficking. The paper discusses child trafficking as a category of sexual exploitation.

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Child trafficking is the enlisting, transportation, transfer, and harboring of a child with an intention of exposing them to slavery, forced labor, and exploitation. Child trafficking is a global crisis. In child trafficking, children are exposed to terrible harm, pain, and trauma. UNICEF (2009) indicates that child trafficking is a labor issue that has been on the international agenda for more than a year. According to the organization, children are being exploited in ways such as labor exploitation in agriculture, mining, fisheries, manufacturing, domestic gangs, militia, and small craft workshops. Girls, who are trafficked, are taken into domestic labor and some are required to provide sexual services to adult customers (UNICEF, 2009). The organization notes that girls are at more risk of child trafficking than boys. Sections in the paper discuss factors that make a child more vulnerable to child trafficking, strategies that could prevent such an occurrence, and the strategies for reinstating victim of child trafficking back to the community.

Factors that make a Child more Vulnerable to Child Trafficking

UNICEF (2009) indicates that a child is more vulnerable to child trafficking in three levels, which include at the source, in transit, and at the destination. At source is the particular location where the child is being trafficked. On transit is the route between the source and the destination. The destination is the place where the child is exploited.

Vulnerability at Source

UNICEF (2009) indicates that poverty can make a child vulnerable at the source. However, the text indicates that not all children who live in poverty are exposed to child trafficking. The text talks about a situation known as poverty plus, which is defined as a case where poverty is a plus factor that increases vulnerability. Besides that, the second vulnerability at source is family disruptions due to socio-economic factors (UNICEF, 2009). According to the text, some socio-economic facts may drive a family out of their home to refugee camps where recruiters of child trafficking are in plenty. The third is issues of domestic violence where when parents are in constant disagreement, children tend to run away from home to the streets where they are likely to be exposed to child traffickers (UNICEF, 2009). The fourth is community violence such as involvement in gangs or school violence where children run away from that violence and assimilate in other communities where they become more vulnerable to child trafficking (UNICEF, 2009). Furthermore, the text indicates that other risk factors include disability, discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity, and disability, the involvement in criminal activity, and belonging to a particular ethnic group. The text mentions that other factors such as lack of access to education, separation of families, and the marginalization of ethnic groups can make children more vulnerable to child trafficking. Moreover, another vulnerable situation that would make children to be traffic is the age. Particularly, when a child is younger, they are more likely to be trafficked because most of them are unable to make choices that do not put them at risk.

Vulnerability in Transit

According to UNICEF (2009), a transit place is a town or country where children pass through temporarily. The text indicates that children might be traveling alone in the night without food or money. These children might be unaware of their destination and when recruiters get access to them, they become at risk of child trafficking. When a recruiter notices that a child is traveling alone, they start a conversation with them to earn their trust and afterward lure them into child exploitation. Besides, in some occasions, children are moved in modes of transportation such as boats, transit trucks, and un-roadworthy vehicles where recruiters can take that opportunity to traffic the children.

Vulnerability at Destination

At the destination, UNICEF (2009) indicates that children might become separated from their families and might have lost their identity papers. That situation might prompt recruiters of child trafficking to lure those children into exploitation. Furthermore, the text indicates that the lack of proper policy guidelines regarding exploitative workplaces encourages the trafficking of children. That situation is known as workplace risk factors. Some employers do not have rules that allow their workers to be of a certain age or work in certain conditions. Because of such, exploitative workers may continue to exploit child workers and they will continue to work there because of the absence of appropriate policy guidelines.

Strategies that could prevent Child Trafficking from Occurring

Early Identification of Vulnerability

Todres (2014) articulates that the early identification of vulnerability is essential because it would help in allocating resources effectively. The author states that through research, reaching vulnerable children before they are exploited is achievable. Besides, the author indicates that when the demand for the services of sexual exploitation of a minor is identified, a better understanding of the problem can be mitigated effectively. The author suggests evidence-based research as the best strategy to prevent children from child trafficking. Besides, the author recommends a better characterization of the problem would address the situation. For example, in cases of domestic violence, the relevant authorities can remove the children from the home and place them in foster houses. That step can reduce the number of children who run away from homes to go to the streets. Besides that, in the case of poverty, extensive research can be done on its dynamics and ensure that the low-class populations can get a means to provide for their family. More so, research can be conducted on community violence and gangs to ensure that children remain safe in their neighborhoods. Also, regarding the vulnerability in transit, officials have to be located at every bus, train, ship, or airplane terminals to be vigilant with any suspicious individual who is traveling with a child. According to the research by UNICEF (2009), girls are more vulnerable to child trafficking. For that reason, research would provide a clear picture of the extent of vulnerability, which would help in developing an early intervention that would prevent the sexual exploitation of children. Arguably, evidence-based research can produce value. Even so, during the process of research, prevention strategies for sexually exploited children should not stop, but continued efforts should be made to ensure that the children require the help they need.

Raising Awareness

Public awareness can help to prevent child trafficking. Moser (2012) articulates that collaborative efforts in raising awareness of child trafficking through legal means can help to prevent the issue. According to the author, collaborative efforts can be done between the government, NGO, and survivors to assist in preventing child trafficking from occurring. As she adds, a prior report for the Department of State revealed that through awareness, trafficking networks can be dismantled. The author states that law enforcement agencies can work together with the government, NGOs, and survivors of child trafficking to raise awareness about the crime. In a case of child trafficking in Rwanda, the US Department of State (2010) indicates that the federal government failed to demonstrate efforts to raise awareness of the problem. Besides, in a case of trafficking in Russia, their government made efforts to raise awareness of the problem by going to schools to inform them on the prevalence of trafficking. Awareness can help to address the problem more preventively and avoiding retrospective measures to eliminate the crime. Seemingly, awareness can help to expose the crime and increase collaborative efforts between children survivors, law enforcement agencies, the federal government, and NGOs. Awareness should be done at a community level. The federal government can work together with states to send people who can go to communities to inform people about the menace and the way they can protect their children from exposure to recruiters of child trafficking. Besides, advertisements in media outlets can be helpful in raising awareness. Most importantly, awareness should be done in schools where children can be taught on the way to spot recruiters and prevent themselves from falling into their trap.

Strategies for Reinstating Child Trafficking Victims back to the Community

Counseling

Counseling is important for the mental health of victims of child trafficking. At their destination, victims experienced traumatic experiences at their tender age. If left unaddressed, victims can continue to experience the trauma hence resulting in re-victimization. Vijayasree and Radhika (2013) articulate that in their places of capture, traffickers use psychological manipulations and coerce the children to sustain control thus destroying their psychological defenses. According to the authors, children who are trafficked suffer prolonged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, torture, neglect as well as violence, which expose them to behavioral problems such as biological integrity, attachment, dissociative adaptations, and self-concept. Besides that, in their destinations, the children often feel in isolation because they might be in countries where their language is not spoken. More so, constant threats to their lives if they try to escape that location make the children feel more hopeless and helpless. Also, children who are trafficked often feel worthless because of the exploitation that they have faced. Indeed, victims of child trafficking are always in constant fear of being trafficked. Psychological counseling helps to rehabilitate these victims back to the community. Appropriate interventions have to be organized to ensure that the physical, psychological, educational, and social needs of victims of child trafficking are addressed (Vijayasree & Radhika, 2013). According to the authors, counseling processes have to focus on the availability of social support, parental and emotional functioning, coping skills, as well as the victim's resilience. The authors recommend psychologists who have experience in child development to help in research about the needs of children of child trafficking.

Empowerment

The International Labor Organization (n.d) indicates that long-term economic and social empowerment of victims together with the provision of services can help in the re-integration of the victims back to the community. The case study focuses on the integration of victims of child trafficking from Asia. The labor organization came up with a project that...