Child Trafficking: Chilling New Data
The Guardian recently published findings of a chilling new UNICEF study, which claims that over 180 children illegally trafficked into the U.K. have vanished without a trace from social agencies of their whereabouts.
The report, Rights Here'', ``Rights Now'' reveals every year, 1.2 million children are victims of child trafficking, and experts say, a vast majority fall prey to domestic and agriculture labor, others roped into sweat shops, still others into sexual exploitation.
I was suprised to learn not much hard data exists about child trafficking within the United States.
Dr. Susan Bissell, from the Implementing International Standards Unit at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center, said the reason for this is that the ``only real numbers that one can consult are those found in police records or in the records of so-called rescue centers, or shelters for rescued child trafficking victims. ‘’
``Clearly, Bissell points out, a review of those sources would vastly underestimate the number of children affected by the phenomena.''
The United States Government Accountability Office published a report last July on child exploitation, in which they claim 600,00 to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders every year; though, the study conceded, these numbers are suspect due to the monstrous gaps in data collection methods.
Another report available by the US Government Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons is believed to be the most comprehensive report on foreign government’s efforts to combat trafficking, but similar to the GAO report, it neglects to include the United States; which is odd, since many child trafficking experts, including Bissell, emphasized that ``there is no country immune to child trafficking.’’
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
The report, Rights Here'', ``Rights Now'' reveals every year, 1.2 million children are victims of child trafficking, and experts say, a vast majority fall prey to domestic and agriculture labor, others roped into sweat shops, still others into sexual exploitation.
I was suprised to learn not much hard data exists about child trafficking within the United States.
Dr. Susan Bissell, from the Implementing International Standards Unit at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center, said the reason for this is that the ``only real numbers that one can consult are those found in police records or in the records of so-called rescue centers, or shelters for rescued child trafficking victims. ‘’
``Clearly, Bissell points out, a review of those sources would vastly underestimate the number of children affected by the phenomena.''
The United States Government Accountability Office published a report last July on child exploitation, in which they claim 600,00 to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders every year; though, the study conceded, these numbers are suspect due to the monstrous gaps in data collection methods.
Another report available by the US Government Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons is believed to be the most comprehensive report on foreign government’s efforts to combat trafficking, but similar to the GAO report, it neglects to include the United States; which is odd, since many child trafficking experts, including Bissell, emphasized that ``there is no country immune to child trafficking.’’
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
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