The term “forced child labor” describes forced labor schemes in which traffickers compel children to work. Traffickers often target children because they are more vulnerable. Although some children may legally engage in certain forms of work, forcing or coercing children to work remains illegal. Forms of slavery or slavery-like practices – including the sale of children, forced or compulsory child labor, and debt bondage and serfdom of children – continue to exist, despite legal prohibitions and widespread condemnation. Some indicators of forced labor of a child include situations in which the child appears to be in the custody of a non-family member and the child’s work financially benefits someone outside the child’s family; or the denial of food, rest, or schooling to a child who is working.
Published in Chapter:
Exploring the Values and Nuances of Survival Sex and Sexual Exploitation: Ethical Implications of Biological Capabilities and Human Trafficking
Perfect Nwongo (University of Uyo, Nigeria) and Jesse Enang (University of Uyo, Nigeria)
Copyright: © 2022
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-9282-3.ch016
Abstract
Existing narratives and collective discourse on the phenomenon of survival sex and sexual exploitation are pervaded by the notion of victimhood, helplessness, vulnerability, and lack of agency. Available statistics on the transgression provide only an approximation of the reality. This is in addition to the fact that the ontological constitution of these practices clearly depicts a scenario of exploitation, harm, and destruction of human dignity not accompanied by concerted effort in its prevention or combat. The multidimensional and dynamic perspective of victim's vulnerability indicates that survival sex and sexual exploitation is not merely a “distant history” taught in school but a geographically and sociologically far-flung subject matter portrayed by the media and the research community culminating into the failure to protect the vulnerable and safeguard their rights. This study, therefore, is an attempt to examine the thesis that neglect and negativity attributed to the victims of this misdemeanor must be recognized as a socio-political problem and subsequently addressed.