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Direct Link to Save the Children UK
Report
THE SMALL HANDS OF SLAVERY
Modern Day Child Slavery
23
August 2007
UK
'Has 5,000 Child Prostitutes' |
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There are 5,000 prostitutes
under the age of 18 in the UK, according to a charity report. Save the Children's figures suggest
three-quarters of these are girls, and 1.8 million children are being abused
in the sex industry across the world. The report, marking 200 years since the end
of the British slave trade, says 1.2 million children and babies are
trafficked every year worldwide. The gangs involved make an annual £15bn
profit, the charity says. 'Horrific conditions' Save the Children's head of protection Bill
Bell said: "Child slavery is not a thing of the past. "There are still millions of children
in both rich and poor countries who are being forced to lead slave-like lives
under horrific conditions of humiliation and abuse. "These children are treated as
commodities, liable to be lent or sold to other owners without warning."
Save the Children says the eight most
common forms of child slavery today are: · child trafficking · child prostitution · bonded child labour (to pay off debt) · forced work in mines · agricultural labour · child soldiers · forced child marriage · domestic slavery The report states one million children are
risking their lives in mines and quarries in more than 50 African, Asian and
South American countries. About 132 million children under the age of
15 are working in agriculture, often exposed to pesticides, heavy machinery,
machetes and axes, it says.
There are 300,000 children
involved with fighting forces, including government armies, the report says. Child marriage - including mail order and
internet brides - is one of the most widespread forms of slavery, it adds. The charity called on the world's governments
to ensure an end to child slavery. A Home Office spokesman said: "The
government is committed to ensuring the protection of children, and putting
an end to human trafficking." The spokesman said the UK's Action Plan on
Tackling Human Trafficking, published earlier this year, contained a
"comprehensive strategy to improve the identification and safeguarding
of child victims of trafficking". |
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Document: http://www.crin.org/docs/ChildSlaveryBrieffinal.pdf
[LONDON, 28 March 2007] - On the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act, a
new report by Save the Children reveals millions of children are still living
as child slaves.
The report exposes the eight most prevalent forms of child slavery that are
still forcing children to live in appalling conditions, to
work long hours for little or nothing in return, and to be subjected to extreme
harm, violence and rape.
Child trafficking
Child prostitution
Bonded child labour
Forced work in mines
Agricultural labour
Child soldiers
Forced child marriage
Domestic slavery
Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children, said:
"Child slavery is not a historical phenomenon - it is a stark reality for
millions of children in both poor and rich countries. These children are
treated like commodities; they can be lent or sold to other owners without
warning, and live under crushing conditions of humiliation and abuse.
Governments everywhere - including the UK - are not doing enough to respond to
the plight of children in this inhumane situation. World leaders and
international donors must act as a matter of urgency to address child slavery
and put in place the laws and resources needed to eradicate these terrible
practices."
Save the Children is calling on all governments to:
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