Children on the continent are trafficked, sexually exploited, forced into marriage, recruited into armed forces and made to beg.
On 16 June, Africa will commemorate the International Day of the African Child under the theme Planning and Budgeting For Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010.
This consequential day in the history of human rights protection in Africa was created by the African Union in 1991 to honour and commemorate the lives of many South African students who were killed in Soweto on 16 June 1976.
Every year on this day governments, civil societies and other development partners converge to discuss problems, opportunities and progress in promoting and protecting children’s rights in the Continent.
Despite progressive efforts by African member states in children’s rights programming, there is a “cancer” that still requires proper diagnosis and troubleshooting. This cancer is deeply pervasive and alarming throughout the continent of Africa. It is child trafficking.
Statistics and figures are difficult to obtain because of the clandestine nature of this criminal enterprise. But the available data and experts’ assessment paint a gloomy picture of the safety of children in Africa.
Understanding and conceptualisation of child trafficking is becoming an issue in combating this sophisticated criminal activity. Child trafficking is the use of children for exploitation. It is a serious violation of international human rights law and standards.
The definition of trafficking of children and trafficking of adults is different. For adults, trafficking means recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception to exploit them for profit.
There is a fundamental difference between the general trafficking definition and child trafficking. When dealing with children, the use of force, fraud, deception and any other forms of fraudulent misrepresentation is not considered. What is considered is the fact that one uses a child for the sake of exploitation.
Child trafficking is not only a movement-based criminality, as presumed by the majority. Even without crossing borders or moving from one place to another, trafficking can happen. It is happening in our backyards. It is a crime which can happen without movement.
The most common forms of child trafficking in Africa are:
Forced labour. The UN Report is showing that three in every four trafficking victims in West Africa are children. The International Labour Organisation reported that more than 70 million African children are estimated to be in child labour, and more than 30 million are in hazardous work. The agriculture sector accounts for the largest proportion of child labour. The majority of forms of forced labour in African States are found in subsistence commercial farming and livestock herding, and domestic work. Nearly 60% of children subjected to forced labour in Africa range from the ages of five to 11 years. Other child labour trafficking hotspot sectors in Africa are timber production, mining and fishing sectors, where children are being subjected to unpaid labour for relatives and close family members.
Sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation is a form of child trafficking ravaging the continent of Africa. Almost 80 million girls in Africa have been subjected to rape or sexual assault before their 18th birthday. The Sexual Exploitation of Children in Africa Report revealed that in Tanzania, more than 1,000 school-going adolescents were sexually exploited, in Uganda and Zimbabwe, 19% of children experienced some form of help in exchange for sex, in Nigeria over 8% of children were asked for sex in exchange of goods, in Kenya 7% of children reported having received money for sex.
Child marriages. Some African societies still practice child marriages, which is another form of child trafficking. More than 50 million girls in Southern Africa and East Africa are married before the age of 18. The core legal principle is that children cannot consent to any form of marriage. When a child is handed over to another family, she is likely to be subjected to a lot of harmful practices under the guise of culture, such as sexual exploitation, being forced to perform domestic duties, child care and other unpaid work, which amounts to exploitation.
Child begging. The general thinking is that trafficking always happens behind closed doors and in the darkness. With a child begging, it happens in front of people and it’s normalised. Globally, it is estimated that traffickers are realising more than $40,000 in illegal profits from forced child begging. In most cities and towns in Africa, people see children on the streets and roadside begging. Parents and close family relatives are recruiting these children for begging using psychological and physical coercion so that they get public sympathy and donations. Children who are begging in the streets are also prone to sexual exploitation. This denies children their right to education, security, safety, health and a normal childhood.
Recruitment into armed conflict: Conflict and insecurity in some African states worsen child trafficking, which impairs their fundamental rights and freedoms. IN 2024, More than 4000 children were recruited by armed groups in the DRC, in Sudan, 277 children, Mali 691 children were recruited in 2023, These children carry arms and are used in combat or are forced to work with the armed group in its operations, acting as spies, messengers, porters, cooks, or cleaning camps, vehicles and weapons.
Although the African continent has made efforts towards the promotion and protection of children’s rights, child trafficking is a deeply pervasive and alarming issue which requires concerted efforts from member states, Civil Society, UN agencies and all stakeholders to form a formidable front to tackle the scourge. African states should start investing in legal and policy measures, and the capacitation of players in the justice delivery system to secure an Africa which is fit for children.
Zororai Nkomo is a human rights specialist, legal researcher with the African Union’s Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child with a multidisciplinary background in law, public prosecution, journalism and social justice advocacy. He writes in his personal capacity.