(no title) (original) (raw)

Unicef cites rising rate of child-trafficking

Monday, April 4, 2005 Updated at 9:10 AM EST
Associated Press

Manila — Unicef warned Monday that millions of children round the
globe are being trafficked annually in an illegal industry worth $10-
billion (U.S.) a year, rivalling the trade in illicit drugs and arms.
UN Children's Fund executive director Carol Bellamy urged
legislators worldwide to ensure the protection of children by
instituting laws that stop their exploitation and abuse.
"Parliamentarians have a choice," Ms. Bellamy said at the launch of
a handbook to help legislators combat child trafficking that
coincides with the Inter-Parliamentary Association's annual meeting
in Manila, attended by hundreds of legislators from all over the
world.

"They can make decisions that ensure the protection of children, or
they can make decisions that leave children vulnerable to being
exploited and abused," she said.

She said legislators can enact laws to protect children, allocate
funds from national budgets and use the power of parliamentary
inquiry to hold governments, industries and civil society
accountable.

IPU President Sergio Paez said ensuring respect for the rights of
children "is part of our social responsibility" and calls "not only
for the expression of political will, but also for the establishment
of institutions, standards and a new international culture."
Ms. Bellamy said child-trafficking persists because criminal
syndicates are behind the illicit trade, tourism is sometimes
involved and victims often are afraid to come forward.

Curbing poverty and ensuring that children are in school would help
reduce the vulnerability of youngsters from marginalized
communities, she added.

There are no exact figures, but a U.S. government report suggests
that 50 per cent of all trafficked victims are children. Unicef says
the trend is on the rise in an industry worth $10-billion (U.S.) a
year.

International Labour Organization figures for 2000 estimate 1.8
million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry, while
Unicef estimates that child soldiers have been used in more than 30
ongoing or recent armed conflicts in almost every region of the
world.

Other forms of trafficking and abuse include girls sold as brides
and children sold or stolen for adoption, or recruited to beg for
their captors.