Migrant children at risk of trafficking and

exploitation as current protection systems fail them

UN experts

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons - Sunday 30 July 2017

GENEVA (27 July 2017) Current systems designed to protect migrant

children are failing, leaving many at risk of trafficking, sale and other forms
of exploitation, two United Nations human rights experts have warned.

The mechanisms designed to protect children caught up in conflict or

humanitarian crises are largely ineffective and do little to prevent the
precarious situation these children find themselves in, said Special
Rapporteurs Maria Grazia Giammarinaro and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio,
speaking ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Sunday 30
July.

So many children have died in conflict zones and along their perilous
journey, they said.

The experts warned that all children fleeing conflict, especially those
traveling alone, are vulnerable to abuse of different kinds: sexual and
labour exploitation including as a consequence of trafficking, being sold and
being coerced into marriage, in their homes, communities, society or in
places where migrants and/or refugees reside including reception centres,
refugee camps or informal settlements at source, transit and destination
countries.

We call on all States to step up their efforts to protect children on the

move from trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation, they urged.
Children are disproportionately affected by conflicts and disasters, and
those who have been separated from their families are particularly
vulnerable.

Boys as well as girls risk sexual exploitation, although the risks remain
higher for girls, the experts noted.

Current efforts to protect children are being hampered, among others by

inaccurate identification of trafficked, sold or otherwise exploited children by
insufficiently trained frontline workers and challenges in determining
childrens ages and parentage, they said.

There is also limited capacity in camps to host children in specialized and

separated facilities and lack of coordination between different actors
working with them, the experts said, based on the preliminary result of
research they will present to the UN General Assembly in October 2017.
The two experts noted that, in spite of some promising practices, the
systems now in use do not systematically consider the specific needs and
the best interests of children, especially of separated or unaccompanied
children who at times share their living spaces with adults in areas or camps
that lack basic amenities.

Many of these children are sexually exploited, providing additional evidence

for the failure of existing protection system. Poverty is also forcing children
to find dangerous ways to survive, they said.

When children with little or no money live in limbo for long periods, they
seek ways to earn money, either to survive where they are, or to enable
them to continue their journeys.

Seeking such work puts them at greater risk of trafficking, sale and other
forms of exploitation.

The experts criticized States which continue to lock up migrant children,

privileging rigid immigration policies above child protection policies. The
detention of children in irregular immigration situation can never be in their
best interests as it constitutes a violation of their rights and is particularly
detrimental to their wellbeing, they said.

Regardless of the context, the stressed, States have the legal responsibility
to identify, protect and provide family-based or family-like assistance to
child victims of trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation, or those at
risk of exploitation in all circumstances - including in conflict and
humanitarian crises.

Assistance and protection measures should be child- and gender sensitive,

the human rights experts explained.

Cooperation between host countries, international organizations and civil

society organizations must also be strengthened to ensure the identification
and protection of child victims and those at risk of exploitation, the Special
Rapporteurs concluded.

Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro (Italy) was appointed as Special

Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by the
UN Human Rights Council in June 2014.

Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (Netherlands) was appointed as Special

Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children by the UN Human
Rights Council in May 2014.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special

Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general
name of the Councils independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms
that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts
of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they
are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are
independent from any government or organization and serve in their
individual capacity.

For further inquiries and media requests, please contact Selma Vadala
(+41 22 917 91 08 / svadala@ohchr.org and srtrafficking@ohchr.org )

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:

Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Section (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)

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