The trafficking of children through a human rights lens

Abstract

In recent years, trafficking in people has re-emerged as an issue of international concern. Despite a paucity of reliable data, there is a widespread view that the majority of victims of trafficking are women and children. Children, and concerns about violations of their human rights, also feature prominently in international rhetoric and policy. But in reality, the rights of child victims of trafficking are often lost in highly politicised debates that tend to focus on organised crime, illegal migration and issues of state sovereignty. In this paper I explore (some) causes of and responses to the trafficking of children through a human rights lens. A central causal factor is demand, which is closely linked to cultures of human rights denial and assumptions that some children are less than human. I argue that while the causes of trafficking are themselves violations of children’s human rights, so too are many responses. The denial of ‘rescued’ children’s rights to protection and participation in decisions made about their lives is a further abuse of already traumatised children. If policy responses to trafficking in children are to support child victims, a greater recognition of human rights issues is necessary. Show more