POVERTY AND CHILD TRAFFICKING

"Trafficking is inextricably linked to poverty. Wherever privation and economic hardship prevail, there will be those destitute and desperate enough to enter into the fraudulent employment schemes that are the most common intake systems in the world of trafficking.

CHILDREN AS A SOURCE OF INCOME

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) IOM INTERNATION ORGANISATIO ON MIGRATION. ; Trafficking in migrants Quarterly bulletin No. 23April 2001 special issue

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Poverty and Child Trafficking

T h e C R A D L E - T h e C h i ldr e n F o u n da t i o n [ 2 0 0 9 ]

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Table of Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4 What is poverty .............................................................................................................................. 5 The poverty status in Kenya ..................................................................................................... 6 Poverty both as a motivational factor and an exacerbating factor ............................ 6 Justifications for child exploitation as an alleviation to poverty ............................. 10 Consequences of child trafficking ........................................................................................ 10 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................... 11

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1. Introduction
Human Trafficking has been defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs1 Human Trafficking is the third most lucrative organized crime worldwide after drugs and arms trafficking. It has evolved to what is now considered modern day slavery. It is estimated that 17,500 children and young women are trafficked out of Kenya annually with a good number of the children victims aged between 10-14 years. International Programme on the Elimination of Child labour (IPEC) terms child trafficking as a billion-dollar industry each year. The vice unfortunately is a horrendous by-product of poverty with the majority of its victims struggling with advert poverty and the day-to-day concerns of providing for themselves and their families. Widespread poverty and social inequality ensure a pool of recruits as deep as the ocean. Parents in desperate straits may sell their children or at least be susceptible to scams that will allow the slave trader to take control over the lives of their sons and daughters. Young women in vulnerable communities are more likely to take a risk on a job offer in a faraway location. The poor are apt to accept a loan that the slave trader can later manipulate to steal their freedom. All of these paths carry unsuspecting recruits into the supply chains of slavery.2

2000 UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Protocol on Trafficking in Persons) (Art. 3. a) 2 Human trafficking .org.; News & Updates : From Sex Workers to Restaurant Workers, the Global Slave Trade Is Growing http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/545
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The devastation of poverty has been pointed out as a primary push factor for trafficking in persons and as such leads people into unsafe situations and in other extremes has persuaded parents to sell their children into slavery (USAID, 2007).3 In order to counter act this vice, many states have and are in the process of enacting legislation however, even if legislation is enacted to counteract trafficking through the punishment of trafficking offenders and provision of support mechanisms for victims, stopping trafficking is bound to fail if poverty as a root cause to trafficking is not addressed. Because even if trafficking is perceived as a legal issue, persons affected by trafficking do not take action because at times the exploitation is deemed a better option to poverty.

2. What is poverty
Poverty is the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions. It is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine the quality of life one leads. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens.4

2.1 Causes of Poverty

Some of the causes of poverty have been identified as:a) b) c) d) e) f) Economics Poor governance Demographic and social factors Health care Environmental factors Cultural explanations

2.2

Effects of Poverty

Effects of poverty include:-

3 4

Child Trafficking in Africa ANPPCAN http://www.childtraffickinginafrica.org/?page_id=3 Wikipedia free online dictionary.

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a) Health b) Lack of education c) Violence

3. The Poverty Status in Kenya

Recent statistics for Kenya show that income in heavily skewed in favour migration for work, and child bonded of the rich and against the poor. The country top 10% households labour are deemed control 42% of the total income while the bottom 10% controls less than acceptable family 1% with 46 per cent or 16.5 million of the 35.5 million populations living financial strategies to survive below the poverty line. According to the Governments Economic survey released on 26th April 2007, 46 per cent or 16.5 million of the 35.5 million populations live below the poverty line with nearly 19 million Kenyans surviving on not more than a dollar or Sh70 a day with the largest proportion of poor people are mainly in the arid and semi arid areas. 5 Families living under such advent poverty are vulnerable to Human trafficking situations.
Child labour, child

4. Poverty both as a motivational factor and an exacerbating factor

Poverty has been recognised as the undermining factor and root cause of rampant growth in trafficking of Human beings with families having to seek ways to further there economics status to avoid poverty. It can also be seen as an exacerbating factor as poverty makes people vulnerable to trafficking as they seek options to better their lives. Factors that make people vulnerable to trafficking have been identified to include the better life syndrome which has lead to traffickers exploiting the aspirations of those living in poverty for a better life. Due to lack of education and job opportunities, many young Kenyan girls have been lured to attractive lifestyles abroad which at times are exploitative and in other instances children and young women are lured into trafficking by promises of marriage, education or jobs.6

Jeff Otieno 16 Million Living in Extreme http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/ 6 Grand illusion Shattered dreams pg. 17

Poverty

Nation

26th

April

2007.

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In Kenya a high number of children are trafficked internally from the rural areas to urban centres to work as domestic servants. These children are often molested, physically or sexually abused by their employers and in some cases resold.7

4.1

Parents

In many cases, the conduits of trafficking are the parents themselves, whether or not they know they are aware that they are getting their children into exploitative conditions.

4.1.1 Means of income

As identified herein above, families living under advent poverty have proved to be vulnerable to Human trafficking situations. The widely- held believe is that children can be used for economic purposes and in such cases child labour, child migration for work, and child bonded labour are deemed acceptable family financial strategies to survive.

4.1.2 Children as a burden

FACT

There have been instances whereby children have been seen as a burden to their families (especially the girl child), this has lead to parents failing to fend for their children and have even seen it fit to give them up to children homes in the hope that they shall be looked after in the homes. This has in turn exposed these children to situations of trafficking as there has been proliferation of unregistered childrens homes where child traffickers masquerade as philanthropists, only to turn into beasts and abuse their charges,8. In a report by the UNICEF9 Poverty was identified as a source of trafficking as many families see the sex industry as the only way of putting food on the table. From the study it was further revealed that a staggering 75% of people involved in

FACT

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Supra 2 Taita-Taveta childrens officer George Migosi in Child Trafficking and Sexual Abuse Common at the Coastline Thursday, April 17th, 2008

The extent and effect of sexual tourism and sexual exploitation of children at the Kenyan Coast .a study conducted by UNICEF and the Government of Kenya and written by C Sarah Jones
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tourism thought it was acceptable for girls to exchange sex for cash, and 60% said the same for boys. Iris Krebber, a regional coordinator of the NGO, German Agro Action states that parents have resorted to sending their young daughters into the towns to trade their bodies for money to feed their families. Because food reserves have run out and mothers can no longer afford to feed their children, many decide that the only way out is to 'go to the street' , many times, the girls are as young as twelve.10 In such cases, parents have failed in their parental responsibility to provide a protective environment for their children.

4.2

Children

Children and young children form half of the Kenyan population11 with the increase in demand for cheap labour; children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude, so that they provide cheap and forced labour in agricultural sectors (including on flower plantations), the industries and as domestic servants. In addition to this, the tourist sector has also been flourishing in Kenya and his has lead to the trafficking of children in bars and for commercial sexual exploitation.

4.2.1 Vulnerability of children living in poverty

Surprisingly even children themselves have seen the exchange for sexual favours as their immediate source of survival; this thereby makes them vulnerable to situations of trafficking. This has created a particularly precarious environment for children in which phenomena such as sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation have flourished when children are pushed into vulnerable situations. Certain factors and situations increase the vulnerability of children to sexual exploitation, including traditional practices such as early marriage, child domestic
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Poverty & Sex Trafficking: How will Warren Buffett's $30.7 billion donation to The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, earmarked to fight poverty, affect global sex trafficking, the cause of which is rooted in poverty? By, Sarah M. Gonzales 2006, Captive Daughters pg UNICEF 2007 statistics on Kenya the number of persons below 18 years in the thousands constituted 18,593 http:// www.unicef-org-UNICEF-Kenya
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labour, children engaged in petty selling and begging. Children in these circumstances often do not have the confidence, power or opportunity to speak out and thus become invisible victims to trafficking.

4.2.2 Drought striven areas

Instances for example like drought have been interlinked According to the definition of the with poverty. Drought has driven many rural dwellers ILO, a child is a victim of trafficking whenever it has been relocated and into the cities to seek work. There has been a trend exploited. It further asserts that all whereby children moving to urban areas either to stay those who contribute to or profit from this practice - recruiters, with relatives who promise to provide them with an middlemen, document providers, education or jobs and therefore find themselves transporters, corrupt officials, traffickers or are themselves exposed to trafficking. among others are traffickers. These cases have even exposed girls to early marriages whereby parents have had to sell of their daughters in order to get money for food or restock lost cattle.12

4.2.3 HIV /AIDS

In homes where one or both parent had passed away due to HIV/AID instances crop up of child headed homes and with the need to provide for their immediate families such child headed families are exposed to situations of trafficking.

4.3 FACT

Traffickers

Tourism has flourished in Kenya and with the laxity in laws, tourist come to Kenya seeking child sex tourism .By a study undertaken by an NGO named ECPAT it was estimated that 80,000 Italian men travel to various countries one of them being Kenya, for sex tourism every year.13

World Vision: Before she is ready 15 places girls marry before they are 15 .Pg. 6 13 Department of State USA Trafficking in Person Report June 2009 Pg 169
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5. Justifications for child exploitation as an alleviation to poverty

Kenyas tourism industry is booming, but it is reported that it rarely provides significant economic opportunities for local residents. At the coast for example, The lure of money to the families is huge. The parents see that when their daughters or their sons are involved in sex tourism this bring some money, their lives change and therefore they tolerate these things,14 A UNICEF study on child sexual tourism at the coast estimates that at least 30 per cent of girls in the region are engaged in casual sex work, and they start as young as twelve.15 Though there is a code of conduct discouraging tourists from exploiting children which commits hoteliers and restaurants in prohibiting child prostitution in these places the Code of Conduct has not yet been signed by many of the smaller establishments in the region.

6. Consequences of child trafficking

(a) For those children who are moved away from their homes and are exploited in the informal economy i.e. as domestic workers they are instances whereby they are difficult to trace and are at high risk of many forms of violence. (b) For children trafficked for labour purposes, besides working in a variety of manufacturing industries, mining, and fisheries they are meagrely paid labourers, and always under extremely dehumanising conditions, ILO observes that criminal networks and exploitative individuals engage trafficked children in begging, street hawking, and car window cleaning among other street-based activities. (c) Trafficked children work long hours and are deprived of childhood rights to education and play. Many children who are trafficked at a young age know nothing else other than the situation they are in and would prefer to stay in
Poverty drives Kenyan girls into sex work by Chris Niles MOMBASA, Kenya, 24 November 2008 Poverty and Lax Laws Lure Children into Sex Tourism along East African Coast by Bethsheba Achitsa Published January 21, 2009 http://artmatters.info/?p=1142
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their exploitative situations as they remember nothing of their home or family situation and have nothing else to fall back on. (d) Some children are exploited as drug couriers or dealers or executors of petty crimes such as pick-pocketing or burglary, which may not be immediately regarded as labour, but have a commercial motive for child traffickers. (e) Sexual exploitation and instances of early marriages exposes children to HIV/AIDS as well as other sexually transmitted diseases.

7. Conclusion and Recommendations

The prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse and exploitation cannot be accomplished through the enactment of legislation alone. For trafficking and especially for sex trafficking and trafficked for forced labour to be halted it requires a two pronged war: going after the criminals, and addressing the poverty factor that motivates the forms of trafficking in the first place. If there was less poverty, there would likely be less trafficking. Recommendations . (a) There is therefore need to have adequate legislative, policy , administrative , educative and social measures to address the vice (b) There is need for poverty reduction strategies that focus on education especially of women and girls. (c) Raise awareness of child trafficking especially with key duty bearers. (d) The Code of conduct that commits restaurants and hotels to prohibiting child prostitution should be signed and implemented by all the hotels and restaurants in order to protect children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism in Kenya (e) The government should put in place viable economic options for povertystricken women and girls in the rural areas who want to work.

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(f) The Government and its partners need to consider how and in what ways poverty reduction programmes can be stepped up in the areas which surround the key tourist strips. E.g. target children and youth, creation of vocational training opportunities, greater role for youth in economic planning, increase availability of secondary school places, shifting training institutions such as Utalii and certain Government of Kenya offices from Nairobi to Coast Province, long-term funded school feeding programmes, etc.16 (g) Alleviation strategies at community and national levels should take into consideration the rights of children not to be married. Poverty alleviation strategies should also concentrate on the rights of the child to an education appropriate for the childs full development. Such poverty alleviation strategies should be integrative, taking into consideration the child, the family, the physical environment and the community. This will lead to socioeconomic development that, by extension, can help eradicate child marriage and CSEC. (h) Programmes should be designed or existing ones reinforced to provide support to victims of child marriage. These programmes should also target poor and uneducated parents and families who are most likely to give away their children for marriage. A mix of strategies, such as awareness raising, training of parents in viable income-generating activities and cash transfer to families for retaining girls in school can be used to prevent children from early marriage as well as from CSEC. 17 And finally even though it may mean many years of research to identify trafficked victims, many years of work to improve the economies and well-being of the impoverished areas from which they came from, perhaps many years to earn the trust of these vulnerable group of people and a great amount of money to develop and implement programs that provide an alternative to sex trafficking and address poverty as the root cause of sex trafficking it is never too late to start the journey.

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Supra Pg 5 Confronting the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children in Africa by ECPAT International
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