Globally, one in three victims of human trafficking is a child, and the majority of these trafficked children are girls. According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP) by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), children are twice as likely as adults to face violence during trafficking. The proliferation of online platforms poses additional risks, as children often connect to these sites without adequate safeguards. Children are subjected to various forms of trafficking, including forced labour, crime, begging, illegal adoption, sexual abuse and the online dissemination of abusive images, and some are also recruited into armed groups. The reasons for child trafficking are also numerous. Some of the most prominent are: poverty, insufficient support for unaccompanied minors in the face of increasing migration and refugee flows, armed conflicts, dysfunctional families, and lack of parental care. To date, the fight against child trafficking has not been effective. There is an urgent need to take comprehensive measures to protect vulnerable groups and help child victims. This requires joint efforts at national and international level. States must prioritize the protection of children, strengthen laws, improve law enforcement and provide more resources to combat child trafficking. Preventive measures should focus on addressing root causes such as poverty and inequality. Particular attention should be paid to the trafficking of unaccompanied refugee minors. It is important to strengthen child protection networks and adapt criminal law to better meet the needs of children.
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