Child Trafficking
Our modern society is facing many challenges with respect to the safety and protection of children. Child trafficking is a key problem that should be resolved. The video that was screened as part of the course spread light into the fierce issue and inspired us to react in a positive way to ensure child trafficking-free world.
Child trafficking refers to the enrollment, shipping, transporting, harboring or collecting children in order to exploit them in different ways. Child trafficking violates children’s rights, their emotional stability, and deprives them of all their basic privileges. The video highlighted the emotional tortures the children faced and how their future is completely devastated. The profit motive of a group of people crushes the dreams, future, and ambitions of children, who are in fact the hope of the future.
Statistics show that an alarming volume of children is victims of child trafficking every year. As per the statistics made by the International Labor Organization in 2002, more than 1.2 million children were doubted to be victims of child trafficking. (Child Trafficking) The unavailability of more recent reports makes the situation even sadder. However, child trafficking is increasing at an alarming rate based on recent trends. The video also mentioned about the volume of children trafficked from developing nations for various purposes. I thought about the pathetic situation of children who were forced to leave their home and parents to be exploited in a distant land after watching the video. The cruel, agonizing life that they need to face really made me disturbed.
The video enlightened me about the major reasons for child trafficking and the purpose for which children are trafficked. Most of the children are exposed to forced labor. They are employed in dangerous workplaces, and they almost work like slaves. As per the statistics made by UNICEF in 2011 alone, 150 million children who belong to the age group of five to fourteen who hails from developing nations are victims of forced child labor. (Child Trafficking) They are deprived of all basic rights and also remain uneducated. When they grow up, most of them become anti-social elements as they are brought up under miserable circumstances.
The most devastating part of child trafficking is Sexual exploitation of children. Many children who are victims of child trafficking end up as sex workers. As per reports of the International Labor Organization as many as 1.8 million children are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking all over the world, whereas a study in 2006 conducted by UNICEF accounts it to above 2 million. (Child Trafficking) The sexual exploitation often happens in developing countries and the children are often forced to become sex workers in future as well.
The video also demonstrated trafficked children used for the drug trades. Children are used as carriers and agents for the drug trade. Drug mafias often disown them when they are caught by the law enforcing authority. Most of the children involved in the drug trade are paid in drugs itself. The addiction makes them literal slaves of the drug agents, and they work for them again and again.
The video enlightened me about the pathetic condition of children who are trafficked illegally. The video gives a message to be aware of the illicit human trade that is happening all over the world. The message that I got from the video was to be cautious about the damages caused to the society due to illicit child trafficking. More than that the video was a thought provoking one, which made me think about what I can contribute to the society to check child trafficking. Enforcing strict laws against people who are involved in child trafficking will help to minimize this evil. The emergence of a society with good civic sense and compassion towards the children could end this issue forever.
Work Cited
"Child Trafficking." UNICEF. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58005.html>.
