Empowering Adolescent Girls AND BOYS to AVOID Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a global scourge that disproportionately inflicts untold suffering on marginalized children and adolescents across the globe. According to the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration, some 50 million people globally are victims of modern-day slavery—44 percent of whom are victims of forced marriage. Of the hundreds of thousands of people trafficked across national borders annually, 60 percent are girls and women trafficked specifically for sexual exploitation.

Exploitation is a particularly significant problem in sub-Saharan African countries, especially Nigeria. Displacement, forced labor, sexual slavery, economic and criminal exploitation (such as domestic slavery), and other traumatic events have left thousands of adolescent girls and boys in countries like Uganda, South Sudan, and Nigeria adrift in the aftermath of war and civil unrest. The United Nations reports that in conflict situations, adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to human trafficking and violence. This is especially the case for girls who lack the basic life skills and education they need to avoid falling prey to exploitation and obtain gainful employment.

At the same time, adolescent girls in developing countries face daunting barriers to education. Over half (51 percent) of the world’s out of school children and adolescents are in sub-Saharan African countries. For those girls who do attend school, such issues as lack of access to menstrual hygiene products make school attendance difficult. 

In economically challenged southeastern European countries such as Moldova, poverty-related child abandonment has exacerbated human trafficking in the region. There, vulnerable girls are primarily targeted for forced domestic labor and sexual exploitation, while at-risk boys are increasingly forced into illicit drug trafficking.

Forcibly displaced adolescent girls living in refugee camps often do not have access to basic hygiene items—especially menstrual products. Not having these necessities actually can prevent a girl from attending school, which puts her at risk for ending up on the streets and falling prey to human traffickers. It’s a vicious cycle we are working to break with our innovative THRIVE Project. Through our THRIVE programs we provide reusable menstrual pad kits, teach vulnerable girls how to sew and use these kits, and educate them about women's health and emotional wellness. By teaching these young girls how to care for themselves physically and emotionally, as well as giving them something as simple as reusable sanitary pads, they are empowered to attend school regularly, reducing their vulnerability to manipulation and sexual violence.

Empowering adolescent girls and boys so that they can not only avoid exploitation, but also lead healthy and productive lives, promises to be one of the keys to ending the cycle of generational poverty that leaves hundreds of thousands vulnerable to human trafficking every year. ChildVoice intersects with international efforts to combat human trafficking by empowering vulnerable and marginalized adolescent girls through psychosocial counseling, life skills training, health and hygiene education, vocational education, and other related services. We teach girls how to avoid sexual exploitation. And we work diligently to raise awareness and understanding of the costs of human trafficking the within their communities by engaging community stakeholders on human trafficking issues.

Taken as a whole, our programs help adolescent girls reduce their risk of falling victim human trafficking, while opening pathways to a brighter future for themselves and their children.