By Idrissa Bangura

Child trafficking is linked to demand for cheap labor and when these children are taken away from their comfort zones and exploited vehemently, they are highly terrified and often forced into some form of hash labor, used for sexual commodities or any malicious activities which children should never be party of.

Child trafficking in this recent time is a modern slavery and child abuse. In Sierra Leone it has become common phenomenon in almost all parts of the country. Painfully, children are usually tricked, forced or persuade to leave their homes in other to satisfy the militating of the deadly traffickers.

In Sierra Leone, children are particularly at high risk as a member of the family can just wake up on morning venture into some parts of the villages and take children on the pretext of sending them to school to further their education. For instance, Foday kargbo was taken to Freetown by his aunt to acquire a decent formal education. When Foday arrived in Freetown, all his hopes and aspirations were scattered and forced into severe labor and even used as a petty trader selling all such of wares including cold water.

When he later came into his senses and started realizing his level of potential that his aunt’s never attempted to fulfill the meant for the poor ordinary boy. Later, he took the street and turned into a street gang which led his life into drug addiction and all forms of lawlessness acts.

International Labor Organization [I L O] says that Trafficking is among forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, and should be eradicated as soon as possible.  Child trafficking is linked to demand for cheap labor, especially where the working conditions are poor. Children may be forced into many dangerous and or illegal situations, including slavery, domestic labor, sexual exploitation or prostitution, drug couriering and or being turned into child soldiers.

Children who are trafficked are exposed to many dangers such as working in hazardous environments. Many are also denied the chances to fulfill their potential because they don’t get an education or have the freedom to make their own choices.

Another revelation of such case is, a Sierra Leonean lady named Hawa Turay who was hoping to become successful in her tender age living in her little remote village of Rogberay, Port Loko District. Being the only daughter to her mother, who was loved cherished and cared for, but because her mother could not provide all that a parent can do to take care of her daughter to go to the best school and become successful and realize her dreams.

Similarly, just like what happened with the disgruntle Foday, her went to the village and promise her mother faithfully that she would give better education. However, She was exposed to all forms of suffering and later the lady decided to go out on the street and started prostitution. She became a full blown sexual worker to earn living because the hope of sending her to school to further her education was not fulfilled and suffering became the order of the day as her uncle left with not with option but to choice the street as her precious home.

In disasters, conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies, children become separated from their families as they are left without protection, they are easy prey for traffickers to exploit either by force or with false promises. For example during the rebel war in Sierra Leone children were separated from their families and migrated to urban areas and other countries where they meted out with different types of child trafficking. In our eleven years war, children were highly trafficked and forced into various labor works. Some were taken as child soldiers, others were forced into laborious work by war lords and girls child were used as sexual worker. In the Landslide at Matormeh, Regent village, cases of the same nature occurred where ladies who were displaced flee to other communities to work as prostitute while boys went into serious labor force in trying to make a permanent settlement. These are the repercussions children face in all disasters and conflicts prone areas.

Talking about the specific issue of child trafficking during emergencies, former United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon said: ‘’Human traffickers prey on the most desperate and vulnerable. To end this inhumane practice, we must do more to shield migrants and refugees [particularly young people, women and children] from those who would exploit their earnings for a better, safer and more dignified future.

What efforts have been made to end child trafficking?       There are several global initiatives working to tackle the issue. The I L O has a program called the International Program on the Elimination of child Labor that works with governments, charities and other organizations to fight child trafficking. It helps to protect children at risk, enforce anti- trafficking laws and assist victims in need.

The UN Global Initiative to fight Human Trafficking sees organizations such as the I L O and  UNICEF working together to eradicate child trafficking. Its mission is to address the many factors that cause child trafficking. These include making potential victims less vulnerable, ensuring protection to those who fall prey and catching and prosecuting the criminals involved.

An important part of tackling child trafficking is to make sure there are safe places, such as schools, where children can be protected from all such of harms. In times of upheaval and crisis, education is a lifeline. Students in school can get safety information, adult supervision and a higher chance of being identified and documented. Organizations such as their world are committed to helping provide children in crisis with education.