Bushra Zulfiqar is the regional director Asia at Terre des Hommes Netherlands. She has more than two decades of experience in international development and human rights, working at both the policymaking and implementation levels in Asia and globally. Her expertise includes strategic leadership, socio-economic development for marginalized communities and sustainable development. She recently spoke with The Diplomat about the issue of child trafficking in Asia.
What is the current landscape of child trafficking in Asia?
Child trafficking in Asia remains a profound challenge, one that truly demands our urgent and collective attention. We observe that deep-seated vulnerabilities, stemming from poverty, systemic gender inequality, and a lack of access to education, are pervasive drivers of child trafficking in Asia. This tragic reality is acutely visible across the countries in Asia, where communities, particularly women and children, are disproportionately exposed to exploitation. Child trafficking manifests in various forms, including commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) – which encompasses sex trafficking, sex tourism, child sexual abuse materials and early marriage – as well as forced labor and involuntary domestic service. The hidden nature of this crime makes accurate quantification difficult due to significant underreporting.
The UNODC Global Report 2024 reveals a 25 percent increase in detected trafficking victims globally compared to 2019, with child trafficking cases rising by a staggering 31 percent.
Trends in the Asia Pacific region reveal that child trafficking occurs mainly as a result of sexual exploitation among girls and forced labor among boys, mostly perpetrated by organized criminal networks. Children account for an estimated 45 percent of trafficking cases. Close to 40 percent of trafficking survivors in East Asia and the Pacific are young girls, while the incidence of trafficking among boys is higher in South Asia. An emerging concern is children’s high vulnerability to trafficking out of cyber scams in the region.
Understanding these complex dynamics is the first step in our role as a catalyst for systemic change, aiming to build robust child protection systems and policy change to tackle this issue.
What structural factors continue to perpetuate child trafficking in the region, and why is systems change essential to effectively prevent and respond to it?
Indeed, child trafficking is perpetuated by deeply entrenched structural factors that create a venomous ground for exploitation. These include pervasive poverty, often weak law enforcement, inadequate child protection systems, and insufficient awareness regarding safe migration practices. Gender inequality plays a critical, often devastating, role, disproportionately affecting girls and young women. Furthermore, interconnected factors such as climate change, armed conflicts, and pandemics exacerbate vulnerabilities, pushing more children into precarious situations. A significant structural challenge in Asia is the persistent gap for children affected by violence to understand and access legal protection. The rise of organized criminal groups exploiting individuals for forced criminality in scam centers also represents an evolving structural challenge.
These systemic issues render individual interventions insufficient, underscoring the absolute necessity of systems change for sustainable impact and comprehensive child protection. We believe real change happens when we address the root causes, not just the symptoms. That’s why we need to work at multiple levels – with communities, governments, and survivors themselves – to build systems that protect children before harm happens. This holistic approach is the only way to break these entrenched cycles of exploitation.
Can you share some examples of similar interventions that have contributed to meaningful change? What are your lessons from them?
Certainly. Our “one-stop digital service center” in Bangladesh, a collaborative effort with INCIDIN Bangladesh and VIAMO, serves as a compelling example of a solutions-focused intervention that drives systemic change. This initiative facilitated safe reporting mechanisms and provided survivors with crucial referrals for psychosocial counselling, safe migration guidance, and livelihood support. We observed a significant increase in community awareness regarding reporting avenues, alongside a positive shift in attitudes towards seeking psychosocial assistance. A notable advocacy success, directly stemming from our efforts, was our successful lobbying for increased compensation for families of deceased migrant workers.
A key aspect of this project’s success lies in its effective collaboration with local government and leveraging existing resources like Counter Trafficking Committees (CTCs), ensuring integration and sustainability. The referral system developed through this project is adopted by the Government, demonstrating a direct pathway to broader systemic impact.
From these experiences, we’ve learned invaluable lessons: the critical importance of government buy-in for scalability and long-term sustainability. We encountered complexities in integrating diverse services, which is common in multi-stakeholder initiatives. While digital tools are undeniably powerful, we also found that social media platforms were far more impactful for dissemination than traditional printed materials. Most crucially, the need for robust, long-term follow-up mechanisms cannot be overstated, as emergency-driven launches can inadvertently overlook post-project sustainability.
Furthermore, across all our work, we’ve also learned the immense value of meaningful child participation. This is crucial because children are not just passive recipients of aid; they are experts on their own lives and experiences. When we involve them directly in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs, we gain invaluable insights into the realities of their vulnerabilities and the most effective ways to protect them. This direct involvement leads to more impactful, sustainable, and rights-based interventions, truly empowering them as agents of change in their own protection.
At the regional level, what should be the key urgent priorities to end child trafficking?
At the regional level, our urgent priorities must be multifaceted and collaborative, with a primary and overarching focus on driving systemic child protection. This aligns with global calls for accelerated action by 2025 to prevent and end child trafficking.
Achieving this requires, first and foremost, sustained investment in integrated, child-friendly protection frameworks. It is imperative that we ensure comprehensive, survivor-centered assistance for trafficked children, upholding the non-punishment principle. To forge a more cohesive regional system, harmonizing legal frameworks across national borders is paramount for effective prosecution and protection. Strengthening genuine cross-border cooperation among law enforcement and civil society is critical to systematically dismantle sophisticated trafficking networks, including those involved in forced criminality in scam centers.
Furthermore, addressing the evolving threat of online child trafficking and exploitation, particularly Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE), demands urgent and robust digital protection mechanisms that are an integral part of this systemic response. We must also promote corporate responsibility and due diligence to prevent exploitation in supply chains, integrate anti-trafficking efforts into humanitarian responses, and strengthen justice responses to ensure accountability for perpetrators. These are not merely aspirations; they are actionable imperatives, demanding our immediate and unwavering commitment, and must be shaped by meaningful child participation and robust advocacy for comprehensive systemic child protection.
What is your message to governments, civil society, and citizens in Asia committed to ending the issue? How can they enable action on these priorities?
My message is one of profound urgency, continued collaboration, and shared responsibility. I implore governments to prioritize robust, human rights-based anti-trafficking legislation, allocate sufficient and sustained resources, and fully integrate support for survivors into national plans, ensuring children who have experienced trafficking are treated with care, not as criminals. Embrace technological solutions for reporting and service delivery, and strengthen safe and regular migration pathways, all as part of a comprehensive child protection system.
To civil society, continue your vital work on the ground, innovate with digital solutions, and strengthen partnerships to amplify impact. Advocate for policy changes and ensure that all approaches are genuinely survivor-centered, empowering children as active “agents of change” through their direct participation.
And, to citizens, please be vigilant, educate yourselves and your communities about the risks, including those online and in emerging forms of exploitation like forced criminality, and report any suspicious activities. Your collective action – whether through supporting digital initiatives, actively participating in awareness campaigns, or demanding accountability – is absolutely crucial. Together, by fostering mindset change and empowering every individual, we can, and we must, create a future free from child trafficking.
This is a sponsored article. For more information contact Mahima Sashank, Regional Communications Advisor, Asia. The image accompanying this story is an artwork by a child from the Philippines illustrating the perception of trafficking and the need to break away from its chains.
