New Research by Save the Children Reveals Children’s Insights on the Risks of Human Trafficking in Europe
10/14/2007 10:54 AMContributed by: Vanja Mikulic and Irena Milatovic, Montenegro National VAW Monitors
Save the Children has carried out extensive, field-based research in 7 countries/entities in Southeast Europe, speaking to more than 600 children in individual interviews and focus-group discussions on how they perceive the risks of trafficking and exploitation, what are their own strengths and coping mechanisms and how states and civil society can better provide protection and assistance to children most at risk. The findings from this research are now being presented in a regional report, which will be launched on September 18th 2007 at an event hosted by Ms. Edit Bauer, MEP, at the European Parliament in Brussels.
The main objective of Save the Children's research has been to learn more about what causes some children to be more at-risk of being trafficked than others, and how efforts and interventions to prevent child trafficking can be designed to better assist and protect these children. The report "Children Speak Out" also aims to inform national and regional policy makers, NGOs and civil society at large on what changes are required to meet the needs of children at risk of exploitation and trafficking. It documents the importance of listening to children and taking their views into account.
The children in this study have been randomly selected from groups of children considered to be at high risk of trafficking and exploitation, including children living and working on the streets, children in institutional care and children from ethnic minorities. The research documents children's remarkable resources in coping with extremely adverse conditions and provides invaluable insights into their daily lives and relationships with family, friends and community. It also tells us why so many of these most vulnerable children have lost trust and confidence in people who should support and protect them as well as the institutions designed to assist them.
The present publication summarises the findings from the participating countries/entities in one regional report. The report in English language is attached below [Adobe PDF, 1759 Kb]. The research results were also published (May - June 2007) in national reports in countries/entities that participated in the research, i.e. Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and the UN-administered province of Kosovo (the national report for Montenegro was published in the beginning of June and can be downloaded, among other webpages, here).
Facts and findings from this research will inform Save the Children's ongoing advocacy and programmes on child trafficking in Europe and help identify children most at risk, monitor the impact of programme interventions and formulate more focused and better targeted advocacy messages.
Source: Save the Children – Program in Montenegro
childrenspeaoutregionalreport.pdf
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