“Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center honors the “World Day against Trafficking in Persons” and calls on the international community to reflect on the impact of this crime, particularly on child victims. Child trafficking can take many forms, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, participation in illegal activities and organ harvesting, and is often committed in the context of international organized crime.
This year's theme is the use and abuse of technology, aiming to raise awareness of the current trends and evolution of this crime. Due to the widespread use of technology, traffickers benefit from the advantages of acting in cyberspace where they are given the opportunity to easily communicate with potential victims and their accomplices internationally and then recruit, transport and deliver the victims to third persons for the purpose of particular form of trafficking.
The vulnerability of children who are refugees or migrants makes them an easy target, however, generalizations and misconceptions should be avoided in order to realize the nature of this phenomenon. Every child who is an Internet user could be a victim. Furthermore, it is stressed that trafficking through the internet is a difficult form of crime to control and requires timely and coordinated transnational action.
As a humanitarian organization with a mission to defend the rights of every child, “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center offers its services free of charge to any child who is or has been victim of trafficking. For public information, the Organization operates the 1466 Helpline which offers psychological, social and legal support and guidance to children, parents and to anyone else who wish to contact HFC 24/7. In addition, in cooperation with SPAVO, it operates the European lines 116 000 for missing children and 116 111 for the support of children and adolescents.
For more information in relation to the Organization, you can call 22103234 or visit www.uncrcpc.org.cy.
