Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Child trafficking is one of the most egregious child rights violations, a serious form of violence against children and a horrific crime that continues to spread and evolve within and across borders. No country is immune to child trafficking; it is a global phenomenon. Despite improvements in policy and practice over the past years, children continue to face alarming rates of exploitation and abuse through this crime. One in three identified victims of trafficking in persons is a child. It is worrying that the global efforts to prevent and end child trafficking are still too insufficient to make a tangible difference. Girls are more frequently trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, while boys are more likely to be exploited for forced labour. More than half of child trafficking victims are trafficked within their own countries, indicating that children face significant risks not only across borders, but also within their communities. Rapidly evolving trends in child trafficking, such as exploitation for forced criminal activities, forced begging, technology-facilitated trafficking, and online child sexual exploitation, are particularly concerning. 

Poverty, lack of education, and limited economic opportunities are core drivers of trafficking in persons, with social and cultural factors like discrimination and gender inequality exacerbating these vulnerabilities. Overlapping crises, compounded by conflicts, climate change, food insecurity and large-scale displacement, exacerbate vulnerability and expose a growing number of children, especially those already in precarious situations, to increased risks of trafficking, exploitation and abuse. Among those, migrant, refugee, internally displaced and stateless children, especially unaccompanied and separated children in mixed movement contexts, are in particularly vulnerable situations.

No child should be left behind in efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in persons. Specific measures must be taken to reduce the vulnerability of children to trafficking, to protect children at risk and provide assistance to victims, and to end impunity of child traffickers.

States have over the years made strong commitments* to protect the rights of children and to take concerted actions against trafficking in persons. It is imperative that these commitments be translated into concrete actions that uphold and restore the rights and dignity of every child without discrimination of any kind.

Call to Action

In 2023, the Inter-agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) issued a Call for Accelerated Action by 2025 to Prevent and End Child Trafficking calling upon States and relevant stakeholders to upscale efforts and place emphasis on ending child trafficking. Through leveraging its convening power and the collective, complementary expertise of its members, ICAT implemented various initiatives in 2023 and 2024 with a strong emphasis on child protection. Those initiatives aimed at enhancing online safety for children; improving global data and resources on child trafficking; and strengthening prevention of, and accountability for, child trafficking in humanitarian contexts.

The rights and best interests of the child must be at the centre of all responses to child trafficking. Concerted measures to prevent child trafficking and systematically address risk factors and to protect and safeguard all children in a vulnerable situation must be prioritized. It is also crucial to ensure that these measures are an integral part of child protection systems and, in case of conflicts and crisis situations, are streamlined into humanitarian coordination structures and responses, particularly for unaccompanied and separated children. At the same time, it is necessary to support family strengthening and community-level efforts to protect children. Equal access to inclusive gender-responsive and child-friendly justice systems is integral to these efforts, ensuring that children are empowered and provided with the means to seek justice and are afforded the necessary protection and support.

With concerted efforts and proven strategies, significant progress can be made in combating child trafficking. We need increased political will and proactive measures, such as stronger legal frameworks, child protection systems, and specialized justice systems, including judicial and law enforcement authorities, to more consistently act against those who perpetrate child trafficking. Enhancing cross-sector collaboration, adopting victim-centered approaches, and addressing root causes, including those linked to decent work deficits for parents, is essential for an effective anti-trafficking response.

Additionally, implementing comprehensive education and awareness initiatives, leveraging technology, improving data collection and analysis, changing social norms and tackling gender inequality and gender-based violence practices and norms that contribute to child trafficking are crucial to successfully preventing and combating child trafficking. Ethical, safe and meaningful participation of survivors of child trafficking and children at risk in the design of anti-trafficking responses is key to effectively tackle this crime.

Priorities for 2024

In 2024, ICAT has prioritized three key areas in its efforts to combat trafficking in persons, with child protection as a cross-cutting theme, namely:

(i)    Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, with a focus on bringing ICAT closer to the field to systematize cooperation and coordination to enhance the effectiveness of anti-trafficking measures; 
(ii)    Exploring the links between sudden- and slow-onset climate disasters and the increased vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation that these events create; and
(iii)    Strengthening ICAT’s approaches to, and understanding of, trafficking in persons in crisis contexts, to ensure that anti-trafficking responses are robust and adaptable to the complexities of humanitarian emergencies.

These priorities underscore ICAT's commitment to a comprehensive and coordinated strategy that addresses the multifaceted nature of human trafficking, with a particular emphasis on protecting the most vulnerable populations, including children.

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The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) is a UN policy forum mandated by the General Assembly resolution 61/180, to improve coordination and cooperation among UN agencies and other relevant international organizations to facilitate a holistic and comprehensive approach to preventing and combating trafficking in persons, including protection and support for victims and survivors.

In 2024, ICAT is co-chaired by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children (OSRSG-VAC) and is continuously coordinated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

For further information, please contact: ICAT Secretariat, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), e-mail: icat@un.org.

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*  For example, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (specifically SDG targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2), the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (objective 10 in particular) as well as the Global Compact on Refugees (notably paras. 59-60).