Trafficking:
A Global Issue
Human (child trafficking) is a commercial issue which is situated through out most of the world’s continents, which has to do with the selling of human beings more especially young women and children for labor purposes to other countries.
As mentioned, all continents of the world are
affected by this problem more especially those affected by poverty,
regardless of the power of that specific country’s currency and
wealth. It has also been recognized that Africa has been mostly
affected by this sort of trafficking. But countries out side of
Africa for instance in the Middle East, to Asia and some parts of
Europe, slavery is still practiced till date. In result children are
being purchased from one slave master to the other. Human
trafficking has also been used to support different bad ideas, for
example prostitution, rapes and children becoming labour slaves.
Fortunately the United Nations have recognized this as a negative effect on the
human population as a whole and to the economy of the world. This
will result as an increase in the black market. The Ugandan
Government have set aside a week for the awareness of children
becoming soldiers and being used in wars and in some parts girls
used for prostitution.
There have also been routes and links developed by sellers and drug lords from different areas and countries to trade in both drugs and human beings. How ever the main trafficking routes are from south to north and from east to west:
From some parts of South America to North America, Europe and the Middle East; from countries of the former Soviet bloc to the Baltic States and Western Europe; from countries of western Africa to the Southern parts. In countries like Senegal to Burundi. It has been found that in Thailand, commercial sex establishments use girls who have been trafficked from Nepali into Thailand. An estimated 7 000 young girls and more are trafficked into Thailand each year from either neighboring countries or from countries from abroad. Where as in some parts of the world, babies are sold.
UNICEF estimates that 1000 to 1 500 Guatemalan babies and children a year are trafficked for adoption by couples from foreign countries into North America and into Europe. Young girls as young as 13 – 14 years are trafficked as being ordered through the mail either electronic or written to unauthorized agencies in the black market. Between 5000 to 8000 Nepali girls are trafficked every year into India in result they become commercial sex workers in brothels in Bombay and New Delhi. It was also reported that in China in 1997 the case of trafficked young girls was a major issue, because it was founded that an estimated 6 000 cases of trafficking was reported. Children from Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso are trafficked to Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Gabon. Some children are sent as far as the middle east.
Main aspects that influence the spreading of child trafficking are the poor economic conditions, poverty, unemployment and the rise in the crime rate in a region of a country or the country itself. A lot of bad outcomes occur, diseases spread, more children are abused and there is a negative increase in the population in a country. Organizations like UNICEF have been influential in the stopping of this crime.
