It is an epidemic almost underplayed within mainstream media. Children, being as young as 9, are being torn away from their families, shipped off to places unknown in order to engage in forced labor, usually of a sexual nature. Other times, children will be sold off by their families in exchange for a debt being paid. Regardless of the method, the fact remains that these children are objectified, and overworked in subhuman conditions.

The Facts

According to a study done in 2017, Africa dominated the U.S list of worst human trafficking offenders. The governments within many of these African countries are unstable, mostly due to war and Western intervention. As a result, many of the governments (or lack thereof) within these developing, third-world countries, do not fulfill the requirements of

the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.1 This act defines severe forms of human trafficking such as coerced sexual tracking, and involuntary servitude. The absence of protection for these victims creates a hostile and dangerous environment for those who are victims of trafficking.

Another study found that children, usually girls, from ages 12 to 16 are the prevalent victims for trafficking. Children from West African countries torn apart by war are most often sold as laborers to work on farms or within houses. In countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, where HIV rates are on the rise, they are sold as child brides because of their purity. This starts a vicious cycle of abuse, in which the then victims become recruiters, and search for the next generation of victims.

A Solution?

Child trafficking is a clear and direct violation of human rights, and humanitarians struggle to find a solution. People such as Vanaja Jasphine from Cameroon and Amina Oufroukhi from Morocco work to help the victims of said trafficking by establishing protection programs, and helping to draft legal proceedings in the conviction of these crimes. UNICEF, as an organization, has urged African governments to work in unison with each other in order to ratify conventions outlawing the trade of humans in this manner, warning about the dire economical consequences. However, despite these many efforts, many around the world are still not aware of the atrocities that occur behind the scenes, making it difficult for a larger impact to be made.

The Harvard Undergraduate UNICEF Club has taken a stance against human trafficking, and in a campaign, sought to educate those about how victims are unknowingly drawn into these trafficking circles through deceit. Our members tricked unsuspecting people into trying a ‘special blend of hot chocolate’ when in reality, the cup was empty. This deceit was compared to that experienced by victims of human trafficking, and more information was given in order to raise awareness of these heinous crimes.

With knowledge comes power, and by educating multitudes of people throughout the world of these crimes, we hope to see a decline in this violation against child rights.