TECL II
Child trafficking
International instruments provide a general definition of human
trafficking which needs to be refined to apply to the specific
circumstances of children trafficked for purposes of exploitative
labour. The following is a short definition applicable to trafficking
that is also considered a worst form of child labour:
Definition
A child has been trafficked if he or she has been moved within a
country, or across borders, whether by force or not, with the purpose
of labour exploitation. In case of a child it is not relevant
whether the child consented to the movement or the exploitation.
This is different in case of an adult, where failure to consent is a
requirement for trafficking to exist (unless the adult's 'consent' was
obtained through deception).
Labour exploitation means work for which the child is too young,
or which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried
out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of the child. At
its worst, it would include working in slave-like conditions or the
child being subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or another
worst form of child labour.