Horrors of Child Trafficking
Can you imagine having someone you love vanish because they have been sold into child trafficking?
You have hope that you might see them again and be able to hug them, but all that hope disintegrates as
the government keeps making promises they are not acting upon (Gladstone).
You have hope that you might see them again and be able to hug them, but all that hope disintegrates as
the government keeps making promises they are not acting upon (Gladstone).
What makes children in Africa more prone to child trafficking and what are the after-effects of it on the
victims? In Africa, there are around 12.3 million children that have become victims and these numbers
only increase as there are another one million children trafficked yearly (Fisher). The easy accessibility
to acquire children only demonstrates the lack of awareness parents have and the little effort put in by the
government.
victims? In Africa, there are around 12.3 million children that have become victims and these numbers
only increase as there are another one million children trafficked yearly (Fisher). The easy accessibility
to acquire children only demonstrates the lack of awareness parents have and the little effort put in by the
government.
Leading impoverished and uninformed lives alongside a government that looks the other way when
confronted with issues about trafficking, results in easy prey for traffickers. Parents play a role in
trafficking, it starts with financial struggles which makes them vulnerable to false promises that
traffickers offer them. Any offer whether it be an alleged education or job for their child becomes
irresistible, due to the economic state which they are in (Christian Science Monitor). Another
parental factor is how parents are unsuspecting of how traffickers can be very misleading with
false proposals; which results in exploiting children in the sex or manufacturing industry (Gladstone).
To make matters worse the government has been ignoring the issue. For every 800 child victims, there
is one person who is convicted (Bello). They are not investing in pursuing to find traffickers or
punishing them for their crimes, leading to them acting immorally. All throughout Africa, parents'
economic state and the lack of government efforts only make children more vulnerable to traffickers.
Victims of trafficking face serious repercussions afterward, which are unfair and could have been
prevented. When a child is a human trafficking survivor they, later on, have to face multiple layers of
psychological issues. Some symptoms that are seen include anxiety, depression, distrust, social isolation,
and more. The trauma they carry often begins with feelings of abandonment and betrayal from their family.
This connects to their lack of cultural and familial identity. Once trying to lead normal lives, victims tend to
not return back to their country of origin or associate themselves with their culture. This occurs for two
reasons, either they do not know much about it or they feel resentment towards it. An unfortunate yet
common occurrence with a child trafficked survivors is the toxic cycle they get into. Re-engaging in the
abusive cycle is fairly normal with them since it is the only thing that they are familiar with. They cannot
help but self-destruct and relive their past experience (Banele). All of the psychological issues victims face
are consequences of the government not getting involved enough and parent’s lack of financial stability or
awareness, which results in lives full of potential being derailed.
Although trafficking is increasing, New York has tried to help Africa by charging the African government until they address child trafficking. As for people who have already gone through this unfortunate event, therapeutic mechanisms that focus on strengthening safety within an individual (Christian Science Monitor). With these efforts, there is hope that the ability to acquire children can diminish slowly with the help of more parental awareness and government help.
Citations
Abu-Ali, Azhar, and Mona Al-Bahar. “Understanding Child Survivors of Human Trafficking:
A Micro and Macro-Level Analysis.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Elsevier, 27 Dec.
2011,.
Bello, Paul O., and Adewale A. Olutola. “The Conundrum of Human Trafficking in Africa.”
IntechOpen, IntechOpen, 25 Feb. 2020,.
"Borderline Slavery: Child Trafficking in West Africa." Christian Science Monitor
28 Apr 2003. Sirs Issues Researcher,
Gladstone, Rick. “Real Threat in a Known Market for Children.” The New York Times
The New York Times, 8 May 2014.
Kunene, Banele. “United Nations.” South Africa Launches Prevention and Combating of
Trafficking in Persons National Policy Framework, UNITED NATIONS
This article was really interesting to read it. Something that I liked about your articles was your explanation with everything. Something that stayed with me was the fact there is so much that has to do with all the human trafficking of little kids that starts off in the homes. Something I wonder is why the government not get involved enough with this issue?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you were able to elaborate on this issue, and it made it feel more real in a sense. I never knew how large of an issue this was and I also did not know how vulnerable children in Africa were to this issue. I am wonder why parents seem ill-informed about this, seeming to not know to protect their children from this better.
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