Abstract
The Palermo Protocol is the outcome of bargain and lobbying with global institutions, NGOs and government representatives embattling to enforce their interests. The outcome is the concept of trafficking that embraces the struggles against prostitution, slavery and child labour. This broad concept has allowed various local cultural practices and survival strategies of those who live under difficult conditions to become classified as trafficking. While such definition may facilitate fundraising there are adverse consequences to be considered. Firstly, hazardous conditions of children that obviously are not trafficking tend to become ignored. Second, the victims of “real” trafficking become invisible by the excessive number of children allegedly trafficked. Third, the broad definition of trafficking has contributed to criminalization of whole communities and consequent conflicts between NGOs engaged in anti-trafficking activities and the communities involved. Such a situation is not in the best interest of the children involved. Rather than spending huge amount of resources on the conventional anti-trafficking measures there is a need to address the root causes of whatsoever unacceptable condition a child is suffering from.
Highlights
Since The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, frequently referred to as the Palermo Protocol, was agreed on in the year 2000, trafficking has been represented as modern-day slavery (Bravo, 2007; Quirk, 2006; STJÓRNMÁL &Schaeffer-Grabiel, 2010; Welch, 2009; Wong, 2011)
We suggest that the history of the struggles against prostitution, slavery and child labour became the backbone of the trafficking concept adopted in the Palermo Protocol
From the above it is evident that a large proportion of Bissau-Guinean children may be classified as victims of child trafficking, and the same applies to the neighbouring countries in the West African region
Summary
Schaeffer-Grabiel, 2010; Welch, 2009; Wong, 2011). Human trafficking in all regions of the world, and not least child trafficking, has been high on the agenda of the international community, development agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments (Dottridge, 2004; Human Rights Watch, 2010; OIM, 2010; U.S Department of State, 2013; UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2005, 2011). West Africa has been highlighted as a region where children and youth are frequently engaged in situations classified as child trafficking (Adepoju, 2005; Dottridge, 2002; Lawrance & Andrew, 2011; U.S Department of State, 2013; UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2002). Among such situations are the seasonal harvest of cacao, cotton and cashew, deep-sea fishing, artisanal and small-scale mining, and domestic work. The trafficking concept tended to embrace all the ills that might occur to children, which has resulted in ineffective measures and contributed to collateral damage
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