Child trafficking is about taking children out of their pro
tective environment and preying on their vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation.
The trafficking in children both internally and across borders and continents is closely interlinked with the demand for cheap, malleable and docile labour in sectors and among employers where the working condition and treatment grossly violate the human rights of the children. These are characterized by environments that are unacceptable as well as development of child hazardous forms.
These forms range from bonded labour, camel jockeying, child domestic labour, commercial sexual exploitation and prostitution, drug careering, and  child soldiering to exploitative or slavery. Child trafficking victims can be male or female, under the ages of 4-25.
Traffickers see victims as their property with great earning potential. Because of that, victims are controlled using fear, physical abuse, drugs, mind control, alienation, moving to a foreign country, stripped of identification, and mind controlled into believing the poice and authority are the bad guys.
Traffickers know that escaped or rescued victims can lead to the arrest and prosecution of traffickers, so they are prepared to protect their property.
The nature of law enforcement work requires immediate detailed account of the trafficking. However, trafficked persons need basic services and crisis counseling before speaking with law enforcement. The exacerbation of the trauma symptoms include anxiety and sense of danger, memory problems and a disjointed account that creates credibility concerns.
A trafficked child is much more likely to be an effective witness that results in a prosecution if they do feel coerced and if they have had the opportunity to get the basic social services they need.
Children and young adults rescued from human trafficking have far too few safe, qualified environments where they can be taken for habitation and training for a normal productive life. All too often, they have ended up in juvenile detention programmes or traditional foster care, which often bounces children from home to home. They will most often run away, back to the dangerous life that had endangered them or succumb to suicide, alcohol, drugs on the streets.
Teens are often placed in foster care and juvenile detention. They are not CRIMINALS, but VICTIMS, and foster parents will  have no idea how to meet their complex physical and psychological needs.
There is most often no stability as children bounce from home to home in traditional foster care. Victims of child trafficking need long term environments to live with care givers that will patiently help them forget their past life of controlled abuse, to healthy independence.
They say that human beings have right to be free from any form of slavery, abuse, violence and fear. They say that those rights are our fundamental rights as humans, and we should be respected equally no matter how rich r poor, and it’s protected by the universal declaration of Human Rights.
Also, they stated that children need to be protected because they are vulnerable and children are not supported to work in a horrible environment or even worse become sex slaves to adults. But are we seeing what they say in reality? If the answer is yes, then why are over 27 million people and 18 million children trapped in slavery?
Slavery and human trafficking are illegal everywhere, but they still occur everywhere. Slavery and human trafficking happen in nearly every country in the world, developed or developing countries. We are now living in a world where human/child trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise.
Seventy five percent of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation and are female. And over 50 per cent of all human trafficking victims are children. These individuals are forced to work every single day without pay, under threat of violence and they are unable to walk away. The can be found in brothels, factories, mines, farms, restaurants, construction sites and private homes. They are forced to do things they never dreamt of doing and they are treated not like humans.
They don’t know what it feels like to be respected, to have dignity and to have a secured feelings. Can you imagine a twelve-year-old girl-child facing the harsh reality that she has to serve people that she doesn’t know and do things that are against her will? It is even more painful to realize that she doesn’t have the opportunity to reach her full potential and thrive as an individual.
Girls of that age should experience a joyful day, having a good education and experience how it feels like to be a normal teenager. But the victims of human trafficking can’t feel it. They will be lucky enough if they don’t get killed.
Human trafficking causes bruises to its victims that hardly heals. They are usually devastated not only physically, but also psychologically. They are grievously harmed sometimes many slaves have been tricked by traffickers who lure many vulnerable people with false promises of good jobs or education. It is not only individuals who commit this crimes, organized groups are equally guilty. They always fascinate the victims with high hopes and offer them quality lives, better than the lives they are used to.
Why does this happen? Lack of knowledge and information, language, barriers, lack of employment, from government, unequal gender roles, as well as community and family pressure to employ children are the main factors human trafficking keeps rising each day.
This evil has to come to an end. But how? We can prevent it by raising awareness in our society about child trafficking.
I’m sure we all don’t want to live in a world where slavery and human trafficking holds sway. I’m sure we all want to see them put a happy smile on the face again without the fear of being abused or even killed. The moment we decide to care, then society will become a better place to live. Stop child trafficking.
Aniekan is an intern with The Tide.

Patience Aniekan