TRAFFICKING AND
COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN
Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking. The 2020 UNODC report on trafficking in human beings shows that globally one in every three victims detected is a child. It also finds that there are more child victims detected in low-income countries than in high-income countries, and children in high-income countries are most likely to be trafficked for sexual exploitation. Furthermore, data referred to in the 2021 report of the European Parliament on the implementation of the EU Trafficking Directive highlights the gender dimension of human trafficking and shows that nearly three quarters of all victims in the EU are women and girls, mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation and in particular commercial sexual exploitation.
During the global pandemic, countries are reporting an even further exacerbation in trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children, in particular online. Despite this, there is not adequate focus on this crime due to its many complexities, including its cross-sectoral and cross-border character as well as its concealed and taboo nature in many countries. For this reason, ChildX, is focusing specifically on trafficking of children for sexual exploitation and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation in Europe.