Child trafficking is a crime that affects girls and boys all over the world. Any form of recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children, women and men, for the purpose of exploitation, is a violation of their rights, well-being and potential.
The invisible and clandestine nature of trafficking make it difficult to have precise figures. However, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that internationally, 980,000 to 1,225,000 children - both boys and girls - are in a forced labour situation as a result of trafficking.
Trafficked children and adolescents are subjected to prostitution, forced into marriage and are illegally adopted. They provide cheap or unpaid labour, work as house servants or beggars; recruited into armed forces and used for sports. Child trafficking occurs because there is a demand for children in the labor force, in the sex trade and for illegal adoptions. The trafficking of children is tragically a thriving business.
The root causes of child trafficking are poverty, discrimination, exclusion and violence. Gender discrimination within the family and the community, as well as tolerance of violence against women and children, also come into play. A lack of education and training, both of children and their parents, exposes marginalised families mired in poverty to trafficking syndicates, exploitative agents and employment rackets.
Children sometimes take the initiative themselves to leave home in order to escape violence, neglect or in the hope of earning a living. The lack of birth documentation places unregistered children at an even higher degree and risk of exploitation and abuse.
Trafficking violates a child’s right to grow up in a family environment; it also denies them many of their basic rights which include healthcare, education and protection from harm. In addition, children and adolescents who have been trafficked face a range of dangers, including HIV infection, violence and sexual abuse.
To combat trafficking, Malaysia has made significant progress through action, cooperation and policy.
These include the enactment of the Anti-Trafficking Act; the establishment of the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons; the ratification of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children ,Child Prostitution and Child Pornography under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); and shelter homes for the protection and care of survivors who have been trafficked.
The Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry and its partners have conducted programmes to raise awareness on child trafficking for the general public as well as the police and immigration officials.
We laud these solutions but recommend that further efforts must be taken in collaboration with actions to address other issues that affect children, such as child labour, social welfare systems and child migration.
The fight against child trafficking can only be won effectively when we combine legislation with other policy measures which include documenting all children in a country regardless of citizenship; strengthening poverty alleviation programs and economic support to vulnerable families; as well as transforming attitudes and beliefs which place a lower value on a child from a marginalised or minority background.
Enhanced cooperation amongst governments and civil society also help increase the speed and efficiency of our response.
Early intervention is crucial
In combating child trafficking, early intervention is crucial. Close cooperation is established with ministries of education globally, including Malaysia, to ensure that children and adolescents are in school. Efforts are undertaken to help families and communities become the first line of protection for children.
The establishment of Child Protection Networks ensures children and families are informed about child rights and encourages communities to look for early warning signs of children at risk. In Malaysia and around the world, partnerships with civil society are established to advocate for the rights of women and children.
In addition to efforts within the country, UNFPA and Unicef, together with other UN agencies and partners, work at the international and regional levels to promote and support agreements, standards and mechanisms that allow countries to better cooperate to combat trafficking.
Over the past year, a range of anti-trafficking initiatives have been implemented in South East Asia to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks on anti-trafficking; to improve cross-border cooperation on victim identification, return and reintegration; and to bolster government and civil society capacity on anti-trafficking measures.
Training is a necessary tool for those who work with or come into contact with trafficked children, including judges, lawyers, police and social workers. While government plays a prominent role, the less formal aspects of the system at the local and community levels, involving NGOs and other stakeholders are just as important.
In addition, many children, families and concerned members of the public are dependent on the media to inform and educate them about the impact of trafficking. Media reporting of trafficking issues can also encourage and influence stakeholders to respond to the issue.
Ultimately, in everything that we do for children and adolescents, we must ensure that the best interests of the child is upheld, based on the principles of the CRC and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Malaysia is a party to both; as well as national, regional and international laws on child safety, trafficking and well-being.
When we see every child and person as important and viable members of society, we can help end trafficking.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) aims to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
