{"id":2912,"date":"2022-08-30T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T06:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ludci.eu\/magazine\/?p=2912"},"modified":"2023-05-16T07:53:51","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T04:53:51","slug":"the-first-suspect-in-child-trafficking-is-always-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ludci.eu\/magazine\/the-first-suspect-in-child-trafficking-is-always-families\/","title":{"rendered":"The first suspect in child trafficking is always families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author: <\/strong>Althea, Content writer, Headline Diplomat eMagazine
\nEditors: <\/strong>LUDCI.eu editorial team<\/h3>\n

Child trafficking is a type of modern-day slavery. Children are trafficked for purposes of domestic labor, sexual exploitation, organ harvesting and selling, criminal activity, armed groups, begging, and even adoption. Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal industry in the world, after drug trafficking \u2013 an industry that sadly generates over $150 billion a year.<\/p>\n

As the human trafficking business continues to grow worldwide, more awareness and ways to curb this vice should be heightened to stop it. Surprisingly, and according to newly released data analysis resulting from various organisations, almost half of the identified cases of child trafficking start with some form of family involvement.<\/p>\n

A Polaris 2018 Fact Sheet<\/a>, indicates that 27% of sex trafficking cases reported to the USA\u2019s National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2018 were incidences of familial trafficking. In 2018 and 2019, familial trafficking was the second highest reported method<\/a> of commercial sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n

The Journal of Family Violence in 2018 published an analysis of familial sex trafficking<\/a>, whereby it is indicated that when trafficking was initiated by family members, children were most often exchanged for illegal drugs. What\u2019s more, an already abusive parent or adult family member will be more likely to continue their abuse by subjecting their children to commercial sexual acts.<\/p>\n

According to data from the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative<\/a>, the extent of family involvement in the trafficking of children is four times higher than in cases of adult trafficking, where family members are involved in 9% of adult cases.<\/p>\n

According to IOM<\/a>, Familial trafficking usually targets the trafficking of boys by 61%, compared to girls of 46%. Additionally, the majority of children trafficked for sexual exploitation (67%) are aged between 15 and 17. It is also crucial to note that child trafficking cases that involve a family member are less likely to be cases of sexual exploitation trafficking (36%), compared to other cases of child trafficking where the initial stages of trafficking do not involve a family member (84%).<\/p>\n

Anticipated data, which will be contributed by counter-trafficking partner organisations around the globe are expected to have a huge counter-trafficking impact. This is why the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in partnership with non-governmental organisation (NGO) Polaris put together the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC) – the world\u2019s first human trafficking data portal to feature such data.<\/p>\n

The CTDC continues to create partnerships with other counter-trafficking players and currently hosts around 80,000 human trafficking victim cases with up to 180 nationalities exploited in 117 countries.<\/p>\n

These statistics connected to child trafficking cases with family involvement are based on around 12,000 trafficking survivors for which the recruitment process information is known.<\/p>\n

William Lacy Swing, IOM Director General<\/a>, said, \u201cOur Organisation is taking a leading role in increasing the access to this critical information in order to strengthen counter-trafficking interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cModern slavery is a clandestine crime operating in shadows as efforts to fight it are often based on only partial information. That\u2019s why comprehensive data is essential, so we can put more targeted pressure on trafficking and reach more survivors so they can leave their exploitive solutions. The CTDC is a leap forward to better illuminate the reality of modern slavery and facilitate coordinated efforts to combat it across borders,\u201d said Bradley Myles, CEO of Polaris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In light of these concerning statistics, IOM is calling for governments and other development and humanitarian partners to accelerate counter-trafficking interventions targeted at children, through:<\/p>\n