Introduction
Child trafficking refers to the action of transporting children illegally for the purpose of exploitation. The problem of trafficking has its roots in society since ancient times. Trafficking of humans was done for the purpose of slavery. With the passage of time slavery system ended but illegal trafficking of human still is the biggest problem of the society. Children are incapable of saving themselves from abduction and it becomes easy for the traffickers to target them and use them for their personal benefits. Children are the future and if they are not secure then future would not be safe or made. Child trafficking is crime in the whole world and there are laws to prevent this worldwide.
Reasons and Role of child trafficking
There are various reasons for child trafficking in the world. Children are abducted for labour, sex worker, begging and other illegal activities. Children who are mainly poor and reside on roadside or slums are kidnapped and used for illegal organ transplant. Even infants are abducted for an illegal organ transplant and this happened due to the negligence of responsible authorities.
Young girls are being sold and forced to become sex workers and dancers. Child marriage is also a very acute reason for child trafficking. In many parts of the world girls are kidnapped and get married. In many regions of the world, child marriage is a tradition and young girls become prey to such practices. In a country like Kyrgyzstan there is a custom as ‘ala kachuu’, which means ‘pickup and run away’ in Kyrgyz. They kidnapped young girls and marry them.
The traffickers uses vulnerable children whose parents have a lack of education, home, food, money or other resources and have a more likely reason for disappearing. According to international labour organization report, approximately 5.5 million children are trafficked worldwide and the amount is rising gradually. Children are being kidnapped and transported to other countries for cheap labour. They are also used as drug peddlers, as it is easy to sell or transport illegal things by them because no one can easily doubt on them.
There are gangs which are operated by gangsters, who use children to beg on traffic signals. Railway stations or outside of malls and hospitals, they make children handicapped so that people easily feel pity for them and give them money. But people should not give them money and must ask about their condition and if they feel suspicious, then report to the authorities. Ignorance of circumstances creates problem for the trafficking victims. Society should take this problem seriously.
Due to child trafficking, the basic rights of innocent children are exploited. They are deprived of education, good food, home, human rights, love and affection. At the age when a child should be getting love and affection, their childhood is taken away from them and they are forced to work for their life. According to the United Nations, 160 million children participate in cheap labour and Africa ranks highest in terms of child labour.
Provisions for child trafficking and protection of child
There are various laws and regulations enacted by the government of India for child trafficking and protection of children from abuse. The Indian constitution has special articles for the protection of children. Article 24 of Indian constitution which is fundamental right, in part 3 of the constitution, prohibit children under 14 years from working in hazardous occupations. Anybody who forces them to work is punished with strict penalties.
The right to education is also a fundamental right in the Indian constitution under article 21A which guarantees free and mandatory education to all the children aged between 6-14 years. In India, the Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) of 2009 provides free and compulsory admission to the weaker section of children of society. The National Commission for Elementary Education takes care of everything, including the quality of education.
These rights are given to the children for equality and to protect them from exploitation. If children are protected and educated, there are fewer chances of being victims of trafficking and abuse.
Some key legislation of Indian system include :-
- The Protection of children from sexual offense (POCSO) Act, 2012 – This act provides protection to children under 18 years from sexual assault and harassment. This is a gender – neutral law. There are various general principles of this act.
- Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 –This act provides care and protection of children and focus on the development and safety of children. It helps in dealing with the justice system for children.
- Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 – This act abolishes the bounded labour (forced labour) and provides security to the poor children. It saves individuals and poor from exploitation. This act is also linked to child trafficking.
- Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 (ITPA) – This act prohibits the trafficking of humans and criminalize this activity for immoral purpose such as sexual exploitation etc.
Some international provisions for child trafficking includes :-
- ILO runs the international programme on the elimination of child labour (IPEC) that works on eliminating child labour and help NGOs to fight with this issue.
- Unites Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also runs many programme against child trafficking worldwide. International Organization for Migration (IOM) also works for marginalized class of people and help to save them from exploitation.
- World Day Against Trafficking in Persons observed on 30 July annually. This day marks the awareness for the prohibition of child trafficking. The 2024 theme of World Day Against Trafficking in Person is “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”.
- The Palermo Protocol is a protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in person, especially women and children. This protocol also states that even if the child is aware about why they were being moved, there consent is not acceptable as they are too young to give consent.
Role of Juvenile Justice Act and Children Welfare Committee
Juvenile justice act 2015 is responsible for care and protection of children. It plays an important role in maintaining child safety. The children welfare committee works under juvenile justice board and was established under the juvenile justice act 2015. The children welfare committee works for the rehabilitation of children who are orphan and who are abducted.
The trial of children who are under 18 years of age are done by juvenile justice board. During the trial there are child friendly environment and questioning is done in an appropriate manner. The main aim of the board to work on the root of the problem not just to decide punishment. The juvenile justice board also provide psychological help to the children who has committed any offence. If any child found guilty, then the board tries to work on them and educate them so that their future will be secured.
The Child welfare committee is an autonomous institution that works for the protection of children. The juvenile justice (care and protection of children) act 2015 requires that each district must have a children welfare committee and at least one member of this committee must be a women. Children who were received by police in operation or who were found unclaimed were sent to children welfare committee and they take care of their education, food, shelter, health and other needs. Juvenile justice and children welfare committee plays a vital role in child trafficking and ensures the safety of child.
Conclusion
Child safety is a big issue in today’s world. Increasing population is the biggest issue in protecting children as there are laws present but there are lack of resource. Government and organizations make laws but their implementation are not proper and that become the most important issue in protecting vulnerable children. Education plays an important role in child safety as in many cases parents are illiterate and could not take care of their children so it is important to educate about their rights and responsibility because Nelson Mendela once said that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.
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