Children Trafficking

Image by 38 Degrees via Flickr

The beggar problem in many parts of the world is a very serious problem. Especially in countries like  India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, it has assumed very alarming proportion. “”India is one of those places that has a reputation for the beggars, the slums, the dirt but the friendliness and hospitality surprised me.” This observation is quite true, as we find the beggars in every city of India. Even metropolitan cities like New Delhi and Mumbai have a large number of beggars.

Moreover, the child beggars create a very baffling problem for all countries, as it leads to children-in- trafficking, that is a clear violation of human rights. Not only this, there are several other problems linked with it. These problems are “organized crime; migration policy; human rights; sexual exploitation and violence against foreign children; law enforcement and criminal justice; security; poverty”.

The question arises how to prevent these children beggars from becoming an easy prey of organized criminals. These children are easily vulnerable, and hence they are easy victims of trafficking, that is a very terrible type of  violence. No country can be prosperous, if it fails to combat and prevent children trafficking  and slavery. Robert Allan wisely remarks: “Slavery was abolished 150 years ago, right? While it is true that slavery is illegal almost everywhere on earth, the fact is there are more slaves today than there ever were”

 Slavery has been abolished long ago, but it exists even now in the form of children trafficking.  This is a human rights issue. Kofi Annan aptly says: “And yet despite the efforts of the international community to combat this abhorrent practice, it is still widely prevalent in all its insidious forms, old and new. The list is painfully long and includes traditional chattel slavery; bonded labour; serfdom; and forced labour, including of children, women and migrants, and often for the purpose of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and ritualistic and religious reasons.”