Meet Hodan*- a 14-year-old girl from Somalia. Hodan lived with her mother and three younger siblings in Mogadishu. She was forced to escape conflict, instability and violence in search of a better life. Her mother made the difficult decision to send her to Europe. Hodan embarked alone on a perilous journey to Greece. Upon her arrival, she met a man who promised her legal support in exchange for sexual services. She was exploited and found herself stuck in a situation of debt bondage.
Hodan’s story is hypothetical but mirrors the experiences of many young refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
- Did you know that child migrant arrivals into Europe via Greece have quadrupled in 2024?
- Did you know that 1 in 4 children arrive without family or a legal guardian?
The theme of this year’s global campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons focuses on child trafficking.
At STOP THE TRAFFIK (STT), we continue to assess the risks of trafficking that are exacerbated amongst unaccompanied refugee minors. Their lack of legal status, family ties, knowledge of their rights, and ability to speak the local language, coupled with their young age, makes them targets for traffickers.
Through robust and safe data-sharing initiatives, we can better understand how to prevent and disrupt young people, like Hodan, from being recruited into trafficking. Prevention is multi-faceted and requires a combination of raising awareness and safeguarding those at risk. Our prevention programs at STT aim to send out crucial safety information that will land directly on the smartphones of young people using targeted adverts.
Teenagers and young people are amongst the highest percentage of social media users globally. Instead of them seeking information around the indicators of exploitation and where to find support, the information finds them.
Collaboration is key, and without our wide and trusted network of organisations on the ground we are unable to achieve our goals of signposting those at risk to safety, as well as paint a comprehensive picture of trafficking trends.
Recent figures reveal that in fact 1 in 3 victims among the 50 million enslaved globally are children. It is our mission to protect the world’s most vulnerable, and we are committed to doing so.
Raise your voice and help us to create awareness. Use this Social Media Kit to post on your channels about this issue.
Let’s unite to #EndHumanTrafficking and create a safer world for our children.