Fight against the trafficking of human beings

Who is affected by the trafficking of human beings?

Each year, more than 2 million people are caught, sent to another region or another country, with no identity paperwork and no work contract. 80% of them will be sexually exploited, others will be modern slaves coerced into forced labour associated with moral or sexual harassment and by all kinds of brutality of all sorts imprisoning them in a victim role which is very difficult to escape.

The average age of the victims is 13 years old.

As an example, every day approximately 1,000 Nepalese migrate to India, the countries of the Persian Gulf or other Asian countries to find a job. The wages they send back to the country are the primary source of income for Nepal. Unfortunately, such migration is often dangerous and badly prepared, especially for women and children who are exposed to all sorts of exploitation and violence, and even slavery

What are the causes of this colossal phenomenon and why is it growing?

  • A highly profitable trade: trading in human beings is constantly growing and generates more than 30 billion dollars of profit each year! Estimated growth is higher than that of the trafficking of weapons and drugs.
  • A way out: the inhabitants of regions where poverty is endemic, with vulnerable women and children, victims of domestic violence and families affected by the lack of employment opportunities and income.
  • Demand: in most countries, sexual services are sought and violence is supported by the permissable ideas surrounding prostitution. The trivialization of the images of violence, the offer of sex widely accessible by internet and the idea that “you can buy anything and everything sells” makes trade in human beings easier and more tolerable.
  • The lack of means of public authorities, especially in countries where State structures are weak or absent.

How to fight it?

Planète Enfants & Développement is implementing a comprehensive approach and developing actions tailored to different audiences.

In 1992, Planète Enfants & Développement fought for the rights of all children, as they are described in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989: right to identity (civil status), education and care; right to freedom of opinion and expression, access to information; finally, right to protection against all forms of violence and exploitation.

Over the years, we have organised ourselves around this fight: the protection of children from trafficking, sexual exploitation and other forms of violence. Our programmes are designed to contribute significantly to the eradication of this scourge by acting with victims and vulnerable people and by tackling its roots: poverty, ignorance, and discrimination against girls and women.

photo trafick“I was young when I married to a poor man who was uneducated, like me. We were in the fields every day, in a village called Nuwakot. 2 years ago, a man came to the house, it was a difficult time for us, and he promised to help us. A month later, he came back saying that he had found work in the city. I was happy, I followed him. But with 2 of his friends, they took me to a brothel in the North of India. I don’t like to talk about that period, I had 10 to 12 customers per day. It lasted 17 months. Last August, I got sick and they took me to the doctor. I managed to escape on the way back and return to the village. I immediately met the team of the project REPARE, a psychosocial counselor saw me. It was the first time that someone listened to me. The group of women from the project prompted me to file a complaint. But I was too afraid of revenge, I wasn’t strong enough. They assured me they would help me and I let myself be convinced. Very quickly, the police found one of the traffickers. He has already been trialed and he’s in prison for 20 years. They are still looking for the other 2. I feel so much better now, I want women to be protected against these traffickers. I want them to be punished.”
Neeta

Combat Human Traffiicking