The fight for child protection
Around the world, children are trafficked for forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic work and other forms of abuse. Behind these crimes are children whose rights to safety, family and education are taken away. It is a global problem, and one that Australia has a responsibility to help end through strong laws, effective child protection systems and support for frontline programs around the world.
Child trafficking
Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), governments must take all appropriate measures to prevent the “abduction, sale and trafficking of children”. This is the focus of Article 35, which sets a global standard: no child should ever be treated as something that can be bought, sold or exploited.
Child trafficking is a child protection issue because it cuts across every right children hold. Trafficked children are separated from family and community, exposed to extreme violence and abuse, and denied their rights to education, health and safety. Article 35 recognises that stopping child trafficking requires prevention, early identification of risk, rapid response when children are in danger and long-term support for survivors.
How child trafficking harms children: Shirisha’s story
Behind every statistic on child trafficking is a child with a name, a family and a future that has been violently interrupted. The story of Shirisha* from Nepal shows how quickly traffickers can exploit a child looking for a better life.
After fleeing her village to escape forced child marriage, 11-year-old Shirisha met a woman on a bus who promised her a job looking after a baby and enough money to support her family. Instead, she was taken across the border to India, isolated in a building she could not leave, and sold into sexual exploitation in a brothel.
Locked inside, drugged, and subjected to repeated abuse, she survived three months in conditions no child should ever face. When the brothel was raided by police, she was finally rescued and taken to a shelter run by Shakti Samuha, one of Save the Children’s local partners. With counselling, education support and safe accommodation, Shirisha began rebuilding her confidence and planning for her future.
Today, Shirisha wants one thing: to see a world where no other child is trafficked or subjected to exploitation or abuse.
Read Shirisha’s full story in her own words.
Human trafficking: Australia’s responsibility
Child trafficking is a global issue, and that includes Australia. UNCRC Article 35 is clear that every country has responsibilities to prevent child trafficking, hold perpetrators to account and support survivors.
Here in Australia, human trafficking and related exploitation are addressed through national laws, including the Australian Modern Slavery Act. Save the Children Australia uses its expertise in child protection to advocate for stronger legal protections, and has actively contributed to reviews of the Modern Slavery Act to make sure children’s experiences and risks are not overlooked.
How Save the Children helps prevent trafficking
Save the Children’s child protection work is grounded in a simple principle: every child has the right to a life free from violence and abuse. Our programs focus on prevention, protection and long-term recovery. We play a vital role in monitoring risks, contributing to policy discussions and working alongside communities and partners to keep children safe from all forms of exploitation.
We work to stop trafficking before it happens
In Nepal, Save the Children works alongside parents, teachers, police and community leaders to help them understand why child trafficking happens, how to recognise the warning signs, and how to refer cases to specialist organisations. Children are also taught about trafficking, child protection and their rights, and what to do if they are approached by someone offering suspicious “opportunities”. This kind of community-based prevention is critical. It helps reduce the risk that children will be deceived or coerced, and strengthens local safety nets so that children like Shirisha have more options than running away alone.
We support children who have been trafficked
For children who have already been trafficked, the priority is protection, recovery and restoring their rights. Save the Children provides direct assistance to children affected by trafficking, helping them access shelter, medical care, mental health support and pathways back into education and community life.
Building stronger child protection systems
Child trafficking is rarely an isolated crime, it thrives where child protection systems are weak. That’s why Save the Children works with governments and communities around the world to strengthen laws, policies and services that keep children safe. This includes addressing harmful institutional care and forms of exploitation that can increase the risk of trafficking.
Across all our international programs, we integrate child protection into our work, from education and health to humanitarian response, so children are safer at home, at school and in their communities.
UNCRC Article 35: a global promise to children
UNCRC Article 35 is a promise made to children everywhere. It requires governments to:
- Prevent the abduction, sale and trafficking of children.
- Prosecute those who exploit children.
- Provide support and rehabilitation to children who have been trafficked.
Enforcing that promise is a shared responsibility. Governments must create and enforce strong laws and cooperate across borders. NGOs like Save the Children help monitor and report violations, influence policy and deliver frontline child protection programs. Communities and individuals also have a role to play, by recognising the signs of exploitation, speaking up when something is wrong and supporting organisations working to keep children safe.
How you can help protect children from trafficking
Ending child trafficking will take sustained action, but there are concrete ways you can help.
With strong child protection systems, committed communities and sustained support, we can honour the promise of UNCRC Article 35 and move closer to a world where no child is trafficked, and every child is free to learn, play and thrive.
*Name changed to protect identity.