Info Explotacion 2014

INFO on Exploitation.

Š Tdh / R. Rorandelli - Burkina Faso

Fighting the Exploitation and Trafficking of Children

The current situation: 85 million children work under conditions that compromise their education and endanger their health, security and moral development.

17 million children are employed as domestic workers and are often the victims of sexual abuse and violence.

1 to 2 million children are victims of sexual exploitation for commercial purposes and are exposed to serious trauma, disease, alcohol and drugs.

(Source: UNICEF, UNDP, ILO)

Terre des hommes (Tdh) offers aid to almost 90,000 child victims of exploitation each year. They may be beggars, street vendors, domestic help, workers in the fields, mines and quarries, or the victims of sexual exploitation.

Prevention Terre des hommes puts preventive measures in place in order to find alternatives for children who are pushed to work, or to delay their entry into the workforce, which minimises the risks of exploitation. The prevention work takes place in the form of awareness workshops, reinforcement of the educational system, income-generating activities and family aid.

Assistance to exploited children If the work being carried out is hazardous for the children involved, efforts must be made to stop that type of work. Tdh assists children and their families in finding alternatives such as schooling or professional training. If, however, the situation in which the child works can be improved, the organisation looks for solutions together with the government services. When possible, children, their communities and employers are also involved in the process. The aim is to ensure that the type of work and its conditions are not harmful and take in consideration the age and development of the child.

Access to education, health and protection services are also important. Tdh supports the

government in improving and implementing laws, social policies and basic services (schools, social services, health centres, shelters, recreational centres).

Migrant and exploited children Numerous children find themselves in exploitative situations after leaving their homes to look for better conditions elsewhere. They move from rural zones to urban centres, to the interior of the same country, or migrate to a neighbouring country. Tdh pays special attention to these children in the context of its “Children on the Move� programs. In West Africa for example, the program operates in six countries (Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Nigeria) and aims at assisting 15,000 children.

In Europe, the organisation advocates for better protection of migrant children, seeking to ensure that they have access to services in transit and destination places as well as upon return to their communities of origin.

INFO on Exploitation.

What Tdh can do with: CHF 150

Provide an apprenticeship as an alternative for an exploited child.

Support a child to get out of exploitation, allow the reintegration back at home and offer education or apprenticeship for a period of two years.

©Tdh / O.Meylan - Morocco

CHF 400

Examples of results achieved • Sexually-exploited children: Tdh works in several countries to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and to protect victims. In Nepal in 2013, Tdh assisted 14 trafficked girls to return from India back home to Nepal. It also prevented 300 vulnerable children from being trafficked.

• Child exploitation in industries: Thousands of children and young adolescents are exploited in stone quarries, underground mines and factories. In Burkina Faso in 2013, Tdh supported approximately 8,000 children and their families affected by the gold industry and the quarries.

• Child domestic workers: Several thousand children, victims of exploitation, abuse and violence, are currently being assisted by Tdh in western and northern Africa as well as in Haiti. In Mauritania in 2013, 2,150 children exploited in domestic labour were identified, 1,403 of whom were helped by Tdh. • Child street vendors: Working on the street and begging are a form of exploitation that Tdh is combating all over the world. In Kosovo, 2,279 children from Roma communities have benefited from prevention activities together with their parents.

A specialist’s point of view « Child exploitation is not inevitable » Mirela Shuteriqi, Tdh specialist in the protection of children against exploitation and trafficking «An important part of Tdh’s work concerns the protection of children before their departure.

We work to protect victims, but we are also active in addressing the demand side. Campaigns launched by Tdh have succeeded in reaching potential consumers and employers, as well as reducing the number of children exploited.»

©Tdh/F.Cella

Knowing that it is not always possible to prevent children from leaving their family environment, we try to delay this moment as long as possible by seeking alternatives for the children and their families. We also advise the children and their families on the importance of education, the risks children can face, where and how to look for assistance.

For more info about our projects : www.tdh.ch Siège | Hauptsitz | Sede | Headquarters Avenue de Montchoisi 15, CH-1006 Lausanne T +41 58 611 06 11, F +41 58 611 06 77 E-Mail: info@tdh.ch, CCP / PCK: 10-11504-8

© Tdh / CKI / 12.2014

Intervention countries : Benin-Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Togo, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco, Hungary, India, Lebanon, Moldavia, Romania, Albania, Kosovo, Nepal, Palestinian Territories