Child trafficking is a type of modern-day slavery. Children are trafficked for purposes such as domestic labor, sexual exploitation, criminal activity, armed groups, and even adoption. Nevertheless, most children are forced to be laborers, which is a violation of both child protection and child rights.<\/p>\n
However, not all child mobility is \u2018child trafficking\u2019 and some types of child mobility might not be harmful to children\u2019s interests and welfare. Nonetheless, there is a risk of forced labor among children that has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 10.4 million<\/a> children, for example, have lost at least one parent to the pandemic, out of which 7 million have become orphans, leaving them vulnerable to abuse in contexts in which child support systems are inadequate.<\/p>\n Human trafficking is usually connected with negative connotations: harsh working conditions, slavery, sexual exploitation, smuggling, and criminal activities. These problems become even more bothersome and emotive when the people involved are \u2018children\u2019. This makes it challenging to have reasonable discussions about what is taking place and about the measures that could be embraced to better the situation if needed.<\/p>\n Our starting point in this argument is that human trafficking-adult or child-is very closely connected with labor migration. Unless we identify the overlaps between the two, any acknowledgment may aggravate the situation of people regarded as \u2018trafficked\u2019.<\/p>\n The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child legally<\/a> interprets childhood as the first eighteen years of life. Additionally, the 2000 UN protocol<\/a> to suppress, prevent, and punish trafficking in persons more so women and children-from now on, simply \u2018the protocol\u2019-reaffirms that anybody below the age of eighteen is a child. This delineation in turn describes the mobility rights of both groups, as it is thought that only adults can consciously consent to movement.<\/p>\n The protocol utilizes consent to differentiate between migrating and trafficking adults, nevertheless, it considers children who cross borders for work as trafficked by default. This idea is compounded by the fact that many are forced to look for work in risky, unregulated, and exploitative fields of the economy.<\/p>\n This global age threshold<\/a> has been universally disputed because it does not consider cultural differences in who is regarded as a child; nor does it acknowledge differences between children of various ages. Neither the UN nor the protocol acknowledges that childhood is culturally defined. As a result, they fail to comprehend those conceptions of childhood, which differ across cultures, not only affect views on child mobility but as well as impact how children themselves experience migration. Therefore, there are several issues with assuming all cross-border movements of children as \u2018trafficking\u2019.<\/p>\n To start with, trafficking is normally described as a criminal activity that features criminal gangs and high levels of violence. On the contrary, this is not always the case. A good number of children move with the help of family members or other people considered dependable, instead of organized criminal groups.<\/p>\n What’s more, many have outlined the difficulties in recognizing a victim of trafficking. People who try to make these distinctions wrongly end up dividing migrants into two sections: migrant workers (undocumented), who need to be punished for breaking migration rules, and \u2018victims of trafficking\u2019, who deserve our sympathy. Nonetheless, this is less of an issue for migrant children as they are all seen as \u2018victims of trafficking\u2019.<\/p>\n On the other hand, separating migrant workers into two categories basically diminishes the right of all people to be provided protection from exploitative labor. Similar to adults, kids who pursue work abroad do so in an attempt to survive, look after themselves, or support their families and siblings. Not acknowledging these needs shows that there is no possibility to recognize the protection of their rights in a working environment.<\/p>\nIs child mobility really child trafficking?<\/h2>\n