New Study Sheds Light on Linkages Between Child Trafficking & Grave Violations Against Children in Armed Conflict, Calls for Increased Prevention, Protection, Accountability
The proliferation of armed conflicts around the world puts children at an increased risk of grave violations while the risk of being trafficked similarly increases during armed conflict and transitional periods. Hence, a new study published today suggests using a trafficking framework to prevent, categorize, and respond to violations against children in armed conflict, including the six grave violations*, in an effort to increase synergy in prevention, protection, and accountability strategies.
The Study, the first to shed light on the linkages between child trafficking and the six grave violations against children in armed conflict, was produced by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict in close collaboration with Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
“What this study shows are the ways in which child trafficking overlaps and interacts with the six grave violations while mapping out legal and policy responses, which too often are done in silos. Most importantly, the Study offers recommendations to prevent and ensure accountability for perpetrators of this serious violation of international law,” said Virginia Gamba.
The Study focused on seven countries or geographic areas: Colombia, Lake Chad basin, Libya, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.
Child trafficking has been long used by parties to armed conflicts to control and terrorize communities and to support and sustain conflict. Meanwhile, grave violations are often part of the lead-up to, process of, or aftermath of child trafficking. For example, denial of humanitarian access can create additional vulnerability to trafficking for children affected, while children can be trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and sexual slavery, child marriage, recruitment, and use in combat and support roles.
The study further shows that the risks of child trafficking are deeply gendered. Girls are most often targeted for sexual exploitation and child marriage while boys are more likely to be targeted for recruitment use in hostilities.
“This Study addresses a key gap in policy and practice on the protection of children in armed conflict, as limited attention has been given to child trafficking as a key protection risk, or to the prevention of child trafficking and accountability, as priorities for sustainable peace. The lack of accountability for child trafficking further contributes to continuing cycles of impunity,” said Siobhán Mullally. “We hope that this Study will lead to urgently needed changes in practice, strengthening prevention and protection measures, and ultimately accountability,” she added.
The Study further presents concrete, targeted, and timely recommendations to Member States, parties to conflicts, as well as UN entities. Amongst the recommendations is the full application of the non-punishment principle to emphasize that trafficked children are victims rather than accomplices and require early identification of victims. Other recommendations include the importance for Member States to prevent child trafficking and ensure long-term protection for victims including through addressing poverty and gender inequality, ensuring universal registration of all children, and eliminating statelessness. The Study also recommends that the UN adapts its monitoring and reporting framework to better document the linkages between child trafficking and the six grave violations.
The UN Officials hope that the Study will help change practice and contribute to better prevent and respond to both child trafficking and grave violations and ultimately hold the perpetrators accountable.
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* The Children and Armed Conflict mandate reports and verifies on six grave violations common in situations of armed conflict. The six grave violations are recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals and denial of humanitarian access to children.
Note: This study has been partly financed by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Swiss FDFA.
