A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE CAUSES AND IMPACT OF CHILD TRAFFICKING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA
Who is a Child?
The word ‘Child’ has been defined specifically in both the local and international instruments dealing with the rights and welfare of the child.
However, in Nigeria, there are different types of definition given to a child depending on which law and for what purpose. A child is statutorily defined as a person under the age of 14 years, while a young person is a child under the age of 17 years but who has attained the age of 14. A child under International Instrument is every human being below the age of 18 years. Therefore, for the purpose of this article, a child simply refers to a person who is below the age of 18 years.
Child Trafficking
Trafficking refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power 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 implies 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 organs.
This means that for an act to constitute trafficking, the following three elements must co-exist:
First, the act (what is done): recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons
Second, the means (How it is done): threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim
Third, the purpose (Why it is done): for the purpose of exploitation, this includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices and the removal of organs.
Causes (Determinants) of Child Trafficking in Nigeria
In this section, we examine the factors that causes (or predisposes people to) child trafficking in Nigeria.
Poverty: Child trafficking in Nigeria serves as a good source of income, generating millions of naira every year for perpetrators. The financial gain (coupled with the slim chance of being caught and prosecuted) attracted many Nigerians into the practice.
Other predisposing factors for child trafficking in Nigeria are the quest for cheap prostitutes, corruption and poor governance, decay in public institutions, rural-urban migration, illiteracy and low level of education. Furthermore, the porosity of our borders, lack of alternative economic opportunities, also contributes the high incidence of child trafficking in Nigeria.
Moreover, the effects of conflicts and crises all over the world have contributed to the vulnerability of children in Nigeria. Armed conflicts, and crises cause displacements and sometimes children lose their parents; affected children are more likely to be trafficked. Therefore, social unrest (political or religious), criminal activities, hopelessness are part of the root causes of child trafficking in Nigeria.
Effects of Child Trafficking in Nigeria
The result of trafficking includes servitude, begging, child labour, enslavement, pornography and prostitution.
Child trafficking has several health implications to the public including physical, mental as well as sexual health problems.
Sexual Health Effects:
The sexual health effects include HIV/AIDS and other STDs, unwanted pregnancy, hepatitis B, along with high rates of abortion leading to the destruction of reproductive organs. Correspondingly, infertility, cervical cancer, as well as sexual trauma leading to surgical removal of the uterus are some of the complications.
