An elderly man is walking through a slum market in Thailand carrying a clean, well dressed baby in his arms. The child has a red ribbon around its wrist. This child is for sale.
Child trafficking is rampant throughout the world, but particularly in India, southeast Asia and southern Europe. The US Justice Department (2004) reports that at least 300,000 children are traded across international borders each year.
Child trafficking is the enslavement of children for the purpose of exploitation. Child trafficking takes many forms such as:
- forced labour, including dangerous labour
- various forms of sexual exploitation
- military conscription
- illicit adoption
- forced child marriage
All children who are trafficked are at a heightened risk of being abused sexually, physically and emotionally.
Children are more at risk of being trafficked if they are female (70%, ibid), come from rural, poor, sick or dysfunctional households, have ethnic minority status, are between the ages of 12-16 or good looking, or lack education or vocational training.
Children are sold like commodities into trafficking by family members, neighbours or community members. The networks into which the children are sold represent a multibillion dollar industry that operates with virtual impunity within and across international borders.
Hope for the Nations takes the view that all child trafficking is preventable. To that end, we work with local partners towards the prevention of child trafficking through interventions that support families and communities to recognize threats, create alternative sources of income, and protect children. We also work in the area of rehabilitating children who have been trafficked. We welcome you to become informed and get involved in one of our many projects!
Villages are the ‘recruiting’ grounds for trafficking. This is where children are selected, sold and taken to market.
In each village within our region, we will plant one “Safe House”. This home will be the eyes and ears for traffickers.
This Safe House will care for ‘at risk’ children, educate the village about trafficking and collect data on traffickers who target their village.
Data gathered will be shared with government and anti-trafficking agencies.
VISION
a. The primary role of the Safe House is that of caring for and protecting of children from the harsh climate of trafficking.
b. All children must have the access and right to care which respects and fulfils their rights to survival, protection, development and participation in civil society.
We are hoping to start 3 safe houses right away in local villages with the following children criteria
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a. Orphaned
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b. Abandoned
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c. Living at home but at risk
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d. Street children or homeless
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e. Children with disabilities
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f. Children from the ages 5-12 years old
Please SUPPORT - 12 months at $40/month = $480.00 and will facilitate the operations of 1 safe house. Please click her if you would like to sponsor a safe house.
Our partner organization, CHO, is a Cambodian Christian NGO based in Poipet, Cambodia. Its vision is to see a network of strong, hope-filled communities where adequate mental, physical, and spiritual needs are met. CHO believes children to be at the heart of this vision for Cambodia and so strives to educate, empower and equip children as leaders of the future.
[Click here to learn more about our partner]