Finger puppets, dolls and stuffed animals are some of the tools used in the rehabilitation process of trafficked children.
Tricked, coerced, threatened, sold. Each day, children all over the world find themselves victims of human trafficking.
Here in Australia, the issue seems so far removed from our lives. But human trafficking is a tragedy that spans the world. Yes, it even tarnishes our ‘lucky’ country.
What is human trafficking? It is the recruitment, transport and transfer of people, in particular children and women, through abduction, deception or force, in order to exploit them in some way. There is a highly lucrative trade in human beings as cargo, for the purpose of exploitation, including prostitution and cheap labour.
The shocking facts According to UNICEF, about 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. That’s 1,200,000 children who vanish, leaving distraught families behind.
Most of them are smuggled across international borders and end up in dreadful situations, abused, exploited, mistreated, crying in silence with no one to turn to.
Girls as young as 13 from Asia and Eastern Europe find themselves shipped to a foreign country and sold to men as mail-order brides.
Boys and girls are abducted from poorer countries in Africa and forced into labour in farms, factories and homes.
Girls from villages in Nepal and Bangladesh are sold to brothels in India.
Mexican girls are deceived by wealthy men who promise them new lives, only to be smuggled into America to work as prostitutes.
The list is endless. Every story is heartbreaking.
Destination Australia This may come as a nasty surprise, but Australia is one of 21 countries in the ‘High’ category for destination countries.
The list, compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, names some wealthy developed countries among the destinations for trafficked persons, including the United States, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.
Human trafficking is a highly lucrative business with strong connections to criminal activities. And like any business, it operates on the law of supply and demand. Where there’s a demand, traffickers move in.
We don’t see it happening, we rarely read about human trafficking in the media, but there’s obviously a demand in Australia.
Chanlida works with trafficked and sexually abused girls in her role as legal advisor.
When law and order fails the people The inequality between the developed and developing countries is what fuels the trafficking trade.
Every person has the desire to make his or her own situation better. In communities where poverty and unemployment are widespread, traffickers exploit this desire in their targets.
Efforts in dealing with trafficking have been ineffective. The relatively low risk of getting caught is a huge incentive for traffickers to carry on their trade. Even if they are caught, most of them escape punishment due to a lack of prosecution and conviction.
Chanlida is the legal adviser at World Vision’s Neavea Thmey trauma recovery centre in Cambodia. Girls who were trafficked or abused find shelter and healing at the centre, but justice is elusive.
As Chanlida points out, it is tough to put traffickers behind bars for a range of reasons. Legal loopholes, corruption, court delay, social status and connections, intimidation, fear and inadequate evidence are some of the factors that continue to leave the door open for traffickers to go scot-free.
If we ignore it, it won’t go away It’s hard to see that trafficking will end completely. But governments around the world have the power to increase the chance for traffickers to be caught and punished.
Legislation targeting traffickers must be enforced properly. Trafficking syndicates can be crippled through closer international co-operation.
As enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, not only are all people born free and equal in dignity and rights, but slave trade in all its forms should be prohibited. This includes human trafficking.
Tell your friends about the issue of trafficking: Raise awareness through your community group, church or school. Many people don't realise how closely connected Australia is, so let's help them become aware.
