World Day Against Trafficking in Persons - Sunday 30 July
2017
Migrant children at risk of trafficking and exploitation
as current protection systems fail them – UN experts
GENEVA (27 July 2017) – Current systems designed to
protect migrant children are failing, leaving many at risk of trafficking, sale
and other forms of exploitation, two United Nations human rights experts have
warned.
“The mechanisms designed to protect children caught up in
conflict or humanitarian crises are largely ineffective and do little to
prevent the precarious situation these children find themselves in,” said
Special Rapporteurs Maria Grazia Giammarinaro and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio,
speaking ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Sunday 30 July.
“So many children have died in conflict zones and along
their perilous journey,” they said.
The experts warned that all children fleeing conflict,
especially those traveling alone, are vulnerable to abuse of different kinds:
sexual and labour exploitation including as a consequence of trafficking, being
sold and being coerced into marriage, in their homes, communities, society or
in places where migrants and/or refugees reside – including reception centres,
refugee camps or informal settlements at source, transit and destination
countries.
“We call on all States to step up their efforts to
protect children on the move from trafficking, sale and other forms of
exploitation,” they urged. “Children are disproportionately affected by
conflicts and disasters, and those who have been separated from their families
are particularly vulnerable.”
Boys as well as girls risk sexual exploitation, although
the risks remain higher for girls, the experts noted.
“Current efforts to protect children are being hampered,
among others by inaccurate identification of trafficked, sold or otherwise
exploited children by insufficiently trained frontline workers and challenges
in determining children’s ages and parentage,” they said.
“There is also limited capacity in camps to host children
in specialized and separated facilities and lack of coordination between
different actors working with them,” the experts said, based on the preliminary
result of research they will present to the UN General Assembly in October
2017.
The two experts noted that, in spite of some promising
practices, the systems now in use do not systematically consider the specific
needs and the best interests of children, especially of separated or
unaccompanied children who at times share their living spaces with adults in
areas or camps that lack basic amenities.
“Many of these children are sexually exploited, providing
additional evidence for the failure of existing protection system. Poverty is
also forcing children to find dangerous ways to survive, they said.
“When children with little or no money live in limbo for
long periods, they seek ways to earn money, either to survive where they are,
or to enable them to continue their journeys.”
“Seeking such work puts them at greater risk of
trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation.”
The experts criticized States which continue to lock up
migrant children, privileging rigid immigration policies above child protection
policies. “The detention of children in irregular immigration situation can
never be in their best interests as it constitutes a violation of their rights
and is particularly detrimental to their wellbeing,” they said.
Regardless of the context, the stressed, States have the
legal responsibility to identify, protect and provide family-based or
family-like assistance to child victims of trafficking, sale and other forms of
exploitation, or those at risk of exploitation in all circumstances - including
in conflict and humanitarian crises.
“Assistance and protection measures should be child- and
gender sensitive,” the human rights experts explained.
“Cooperation between host countries, international
organizations and civil society organizations must also be strengthened to
ensure the identification and protection of child victims and those at risk of
exploitation,” the Special Rapporteurs concluded.
ENDS
Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro (Italy) was appointed as
Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by
the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014.
Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (Netherlands) was appointed
as Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children by the UN
Human Rights Council in May 2014.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
For further inquiries and media requests, please contact
Selma Vadala (+41 22 917 91 08 /
svadala@ohchr.org and srtrafficking@ohchr.org )
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Section (+ 41 22 917 9383 /
xcelaya@ohchr.org)
You can access this news release online
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