Child Trafficking: Characteristics, Complexities, and Challenges

Child trafficking is a complex and far-reaching problem that presents various challenges for analysis and intervention. In this chapter, we provide a broad, inclusive and nuanced introduction to the topic. We begin with an overview of key laws, policies and definitions. We then sketch out some key dimensions to child trafficking, including internal (domestic) versus international trafficking and the broad array of contexts in which trafficked children can be exploited. We critique the overall evidence base on trafficking, highlighting some important shortcomings. We briefly examine the international picture of child trafficking; since individual countries and regions vary in their child trafficking problems and responses, we then focus in on the United Kingdom as a case study. We discuss some specific forms of child trafficking commonly encountered there, considering the associated challenges and complexities: trafficking for child sexual exploitation, drug cultivation, ‘county lines’ criminal exploitation and domestic servitude. We finish by drawing out overall conclusions and implications for future research and responses to child trafficking