Child Trafficking refers to the illegal transportation of children for forced labor, slavery or any other kind of exploitation. Child trafficking is a crime banned under a law in every nation of the world; still, the practice continues in poor and developing nations. Even trafficking children for the purpose of adoption is a crime. According to the data provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly 1.2 million children are trafficked every year. The crime of child trafficking has serious human rights implications and results in mental and physical trauma for the children.

Long and Short Essay on Child Trafficking

Essay 1 (250 words)

Introduction

Child trafficking is to seek a child for exploitation. Thousands of children are trafficked every year from rural, tribal as well as urban areas in India. Victims are bought and sold like commodities.

Different Stages of Child Trafficking

• Recruitment: Recruiting takes place in different ways. It may be voluntary if a child wants to support his/her family’s poor economic condition. Children may even be kidnapped or sold to the recruiter directly.
• Movement: Movement might occur locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally through various modes of transportation.
• Exploitation: After the victim is transferred to the final destination, traffickers exploit them in various ways like child labor, sexual assault, begging, or making them domestic slaves, etc.

Child Trafficking: Supply and Demand

• Supply: Those who are trafficked compose the supply. The various supply factors are poverty, natural disasters, unemployment, domestic violence, etc.
• Demand: The traffickers and those who benefit from child exploitation provide the demand. The most common demand factors are migrations, demand for cheap labor, organ trade, sex tourism, brothels, organized crime, etc.

Child Trafficking in India

Child trafficking is the fastest growing and the third-largest organized crime in India. According to UNICEF 12.6 million children are engaged in unsafe occupations. According to NHRC of INDIA 40,000 children are adducted each year out of which 11,000 are untraced. According to The Global Slavery Index, the existing figure of slaves is 18.3 million in India. Every 8 minutes, a child is missing in India.

Conclusion

Child trafficking is a fast-growing network and has to be stopped. The government has to work with the help of NGOs to develop, evaluate and implement laws and provisions to stop the crime. The exploiters have to be punished rather than exploited. Creating awareness and educating people is important. We need to stop supporting the act by refraining from giving a donation to the beggars on the street as helping them encourages the crime even more.

Essay 2 (400 Words)

Introduction

Child trafficking is the illegal activity of acquiring or moving people below the age of 18 for exploitation. Traffickers apply new methods every day to trick children and draw them away from home and sell them for a certain amount or force them for labor, sex, and other illegal activities. The various forms of child trafficking include child labor, early marriages, sexual assault, begging and organ trade, etc. They are isolated from happiness and are constantly tortured.

Effects of Child Trafficking

Let us have a look at the effects of child trafficking in detail:

• Isolation: Children trafficked are moved away from the family environment and are departed from the shield of love, care, and protection by parents. They have to work under hazardous conditions and are exploited in several ways. Child trafficking is child abuse and has a shattering and traumatic impact on a child. There is no one they can turn up to in such trauma.
• Education: Most of the children trafficked are from poor and uneducated families where children support their families for income, they hardly ever go to school. Such children are tricked by traffickers for the lure of high wages and are transported to other destinations to work in industries for cheap wages or are sold for some amount. Young Girls are forced into prostitution and the work environment in sex organizations is such that restricts a child’s mental growth. Girls are sexually assaulted and are not encouraged for education.
• Physical Health: Child trafficking victims experience inhumane living conditions, poor diet and hygiene, physical abuse and beating and are deprived of the basic health care rights. Some of them are used for organ trade, others get injured at the workplace. Children sexually assaulted are at the risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, infections, and abortions. Acid is poured into the eyes of some children to blind them for begging as they make more money. The life of the victims is always in danger in such working conditions.
• Behavior: Victims of child trafficking have adverse behavior signs. Their voices are shut and hearts wounded which affects their relationship with others. Some might isolate themselves and cause harm and pain to oneself physically. They might get panic and anxiety attacks. Some may also excuse the reality by taking drugs and alcohol. Victims may lose interest in life and might try to escape away or commit suicide.

Conclusion

Psychology could play a vital role in recovery and healing the mental health of victims. The victims need to undergo proper healing process in the rehabilitation centers. The victims once rescued should be nurtured with love and care by the communities. The victims should be reunited with their families.

The consequences of child trafficking are dreadful. Improving and implementing prevention programs is critical. Creating awareness and educating people is vital. Forming different strategies and executing them to eliminate child trafficking groups and criminals should be a constant effort made by the government with the help of society.

Essay 3 (500 Words)

Introduction

Child trafficking is the heartbreaking truth chronic, especially in India. The vital causes of child trafficking in India are lack of education, poor functioning of law, unemployment, and poverty. Influenced by society to have children despite poverty and scarcity of food, parents often find selling their children more profitable than nurturing them. Other children are kidnapped or tricked for employment by the traffickers or have to work as bonded labors to pay family debts.

Causes of Child Trafficking

Let’s have a look at some vital causes in detail:

• Girls as the Object of Desire: Girls are often seen as objects of desire and demand from customers for young girls in prostitution is much higher, as a result, female children are bought and sold for the purpose of prostitution and sexual exploitation.
• Unemployment: The Unemployment rate in India is high due to which there are fewer financial opportunities. In order to support family needs or under pressure of family members children are bound to work. Often they are tricked for work and subjected to slavery, begging and sexual exploitation. Children from rural areas in poor condition are trafficked to cities for employment in industries such as spinning mills, hotels, restaurants, and construction for little or no pay at all. They are often physically and mentally exploited by employers and have to work under hazardous conditions.
• Bonded Labour: Bonded labor is also known as debt labor. Some parents sell their children as bonded labor for cash or are bound by debt to force their children to work as bonded labor. Children are forced to work as bonded laborers or do domestic work in order to pay family debts.
• Lack of Education and Awareness: Lack of education is the major reason for lack of awareness which makes families surrender to traffickers. Each year millions of children are born without any birth registration making it impossible to track in any system. These children become the easy target for child traffickers.
• Poor Function of Laws: Child trafficking in India has also increased due to the poor functioning of the law. Child traffickers are at lower risk as there is no serious action taken against them.
• Natural Disasters: Natural disasters like earthquakes or floods in a particular state or city is the time when traffickers are attracted. Traffickers can act as a relief worker and trick children by offering food, work or shelter. They exploit the children under extremely vulnerable conditions. Children who lose their families in natural disasters are bound or forced by traffickers to take uncertain decisions.
• Child Marriages: Many girls are forced by families or sold by traffickers for child marriage. In most cases, the condition of girls in early marriages is like slaves. They are exploited physically and mentally.

Conclusion

There are several constitutional and legislative provisions in India like Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, Bonded Labour System Act 1986, Child Labour Act 1986, Transplantation of human organs Act 1994, The Immoral Traffic Act 1956. Proper implementation of the provisions is required with the help of the government and NGOs to end the root causes.

Essay 4 (600 words)

Introduction

The illicit act of forcefully acquiring or transferring children for the purpose of labor or sexual exploitation is known as child trafficking.

Children are deprived of the family environment and are forced to work in the sectors where working conditions and the approach of employers towards them violate the human rights and freedom of the children. Children are used for illegal activities like prostitution, begging, pickpocketing, drug couriering, early marriages, and organ transplants. The working environments are dangerous and harmful for a child’s mental and physical health.

Types of Child Trafficking

Child Trafficking has been classified into different categories. Here is a look at some types of child trafficking in detail:

1. Domestic slave
2. Child Labour
3. Bonded Labour
4. Sexual Exploitation
5. Illegal Activities
6. Trafficking of Organs
7. Child Soldiers

Domestic Slave

Children and their families in rural areas are often tricked for the lure of higher wages in the cities. In reality, the children are sold for a certain amount and are forced to work as a house help for no wages at all. In most child marriages, young females are exploited as domestic slaves and sexually assaulted. Such crimes are hardly ever exposed as they take place in private homes.

Child Labour

Children from rural areas often migrate or are trafficked for employment in industries like hotels and restaurants, construction industries, spinning mills, etc. Victims are also physically and mentally exploited. They are forced to work for very low or no wages at all under threatening conditions.

Bonded Labour

Bonded laborers are the laborers that are forced to pay the family debt. Parents give away their children when they are unable to pay debts. Also, children are sold for some amount due to poverty and lack of basic resources.

Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation is the bitter truth in rural as well as urban areas in India. Young females are trafficked and are forced to work as a prostitute. Children are also exploited for commercial sex for the exchange of drugs, food, shelter, etc. Unwanted pregnancy, HIV, STD’s and even deaths are the common after-effects faced by these victims.

Illegal Activities

Children are also trafficked for illegal activities such as begging and organ trade as they more sympathize with people as weak. In some unfortunate conditions, their body parts are damaged or cut off by the criminals as those injured make more money.

Trafficking for Organs

The demand for organs is higher than supply. This results in the illegal trade of organs and trafficking. Organs such as eyes and kidneys, in particular, are high in demand.  There are criminal groups that exploit children for personal profits. Child organ trafficking is a dark reality in today’s world.

Child Soldiers

Many children under the age group of 18 are trafficked and are being exploited as child soldiers. Other children are also forced to work as guards, cooks, servants, etc. The children are forced to work hard, as a result, they are deprived of the childhood, love, and care of their families.

Conclusion

Society and government need to focus on Prevention, Prosecution, and Protection. The government should adopt proper measures to prevent severe kinds of child trafficking. Awareness in society has to be created by educating and informing people and the victims of child trafficking about the causes and effects of the different forms of child trafficking. The government needs to redefine laws and make sure the laws are implemented efficiently. The government needs to make continuous efforts with the help of NGOs and society to abolish all forms of child trafficking. Serious action needs to be taken against the trafficking chain and everyone involved in the crime must be punished by law.