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Trafficking
The Issue
T H E UN IT E D NAT IO NS defines trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of
coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of
vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of
a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” Simply put,
trafficking is the use of fraud, force, or coercion to exploit a person for profit.
HUM A N T R A F F IC K ING takes many forms, including commercial sexual exploitation, child
soldiering, debt bondage, servitude on the high seas, and involuntary domestic labor. Human
traffickers prey on the vulnerable. Their targets are often children and young women, and their
ploys are creative and ruthless, designed to trick, coerce, and win the confidence of potential
victims. Very often these ruses involve promises of a better life through marriage, employment,
or educational opportunities.
» Armed conflict, as child soldiers, porters, landmine detectors, or sex slaves for combatants
» Labor, including domestic service and working in mines, factories, hotels, or restaurants
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C H IL DR E N A R E O FT EN trafficked because they or their families need to earn money, and
because they have few or no other opportunities to do so. They may migrate to find better
work, but find they cannot get a job or earn enough money. They may have paid someone to
take them across a border to find work and need to pay back a huge, inflated debt.
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F O R C E D C H IL D L AB O R : The sale and trafficking of children and their entrapment in
bonded and forced labor are clearly the worst forms of child labor. Any child who is subjected
to involuntary servitude or debt bondage is a victim of human trafficking regardless of where
that exploitation takes place.
C H IL D S E X T O UR ISM: Child sex tourism (CST) involves people who travel from their own
country to another for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts with children. CST is a
shameful assault on the dignity of children and a form of violent child abuse.
The Facts
» T H E UN IT ED NAT IO NS estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor,
bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time; other estimates
range from 4 million to 27 million.
» A N E S T IM AT ED 1.8 million children are exploited in the global sex trade worldwide.
»
A P P R O XIM AT ELY 80 PER C ENT of transnational trafficking victims are women
and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors.
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» E S T IM AT E S INDIC AT E T HAT more than 250,000 children worldwide are serving as
child soldiers.
» HUM A N T RA FFIC K ING operates under the twin principles of supply and demand.
For example, the Gulf States provide the demand for boys to work as camel jockeys,
which is supplied by countries like Pakistan. Many richer countries are destinations
for trafficked people. Other countries are transit countries through which people are
trafficked to reach their destination country. Internal trafficking also occurs: usually
people are transported from rural to urban areas, often deceived by promises of
expanded opportunities for education and economic development, then forced to work
under terrible conditions for little or no pay.
» T H E N AT IONA LIT IES of trafficked people are as diverse as the world’s cultures.
Some leave developing countries, seeking to improve their lives through low-skilled jobs
in more prosperous countries. Others fall victim to forced or bonded labor in their own
countries. Women eager for a better future are susceptible to promises of jobs abroad as
babysitters, housekeepers, waitresses, or models—many of them false promises that turn
into the nightmare of prostitution without escape. Some parents hand children over to
other adults, often relatives, who promise them education and opportunity, but instead sell
the children into exploitative situations for their own profit.
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What Can You Do?
» S P E N D S O ME T IME exploring websites or Internet resources relating to this issue.
» P R AY F O R PEO PLE working to combat human trafficking, both those who rescue
victims from exploitative situations and those who seek to help restore them through
programs that facilitate reintegration into families and communities.
» E DUC AT E YO UR SELF about human trafficking by reading about it. Follow events in
the news. Keep your eyes open—human trafficking is happening all around us.
» R A IS E AWA R ENESS. Talk to friends, family, and colleagues, and challenge your local
politicians and authorities to act—voter engagement gets results. Go to
www.worldvisionresources.com and click on “programs and events” for advocacy ideas.
» S E E K S UP P ORT ! If you suspect that someone has been trafficked, contact the local
police, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), or your local shelter.
»
GO T O www.worldvisionresources.com to become a child sponsor. Simply click on the
“sponsor a child” icon.
The Scripture in this resource is from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright
© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
During the preparation of this resource, all citations, facts, figures, Internet URLs, and other cited information
were verified for accuracy. World Vision Resources has made every attempt to reference current and valid sources,
but we cannot guarantee the content of any source and we are not responsible for any changes that may have
occurred since our verification. If you find an error in, or have a question or concern about, any of the information
or sources listed within, please contact World Vision Resources.
Copyright © 2010 World Vision, Inc., P.O. Box 9716, Mail Stop 321, Federal Way, WA 98063-9716,
wvresources@worldvision.org. All rights reserved.
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About World Vision
W O R L D V IS IO N is a Christian humanitarian organization
dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities
worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of
poverty and injustice. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World
Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of
God’s unconditional love for all people. We see a world where each
child experiences “fullness of life” as described in John 10:10. And we
know this can be achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty
and injustice in a holistic way. That’s how World Vision is unique:
We bring 60 years of experience in three key areas needed to help
children and families thrive: emergency relief, long-term development,
and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of
expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to care for
children’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
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