violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

300Violence against children in the communitygirls who were described respectively as “onephysically and one mentally handicappedminor.” As punishment, the men received sixmonths detention for crimes which would haveresulted in far lengthier prison terms under thenational law of their host countries. 93Violence may also be perpetrated by peoplein authority or in support positions. A recentreport from Liberia found that girls betweenthe ages of eight and 18, especially from age12 upwards, had been regularly selling sex tocamp officials, humanitarian workers, peaceworkers, and Government employers, usuallybecause of extreme want. 94When dispersed in urban settings, it is muchmore difficult for assistance programmes toidentify, monitor and support displaced persons.They may be hidden among already underserved,poor local populations in shanty townsor scattered over broad, densely populated areaswith limited infrastructure and access.Children who are resettling in their homecountry can also be at higher risk of violence. 95A study of children in Zambia, South Africaand Angola who had been long-term refugeesreported children suffering from violent discriminationbecause of their status both as refugeesand as returnees. 96 This treatment comeson top of the harrowing violence witnessed (orexperienced directly) by many children in theircountry of origin or on the journey to theirhost nation, a problem which was not alwaysaddressed by the services available. However,emerging studies on resilience suggest thatfamily support and having structured educationand recreational activities are importantfor children to recover and regain a sense ofroutine and normalcy. Although many factorscan affect children’s coping mechanisms, culturallyrelevant forms of counselling and specificsupport to restructure the way they thinkabout their experiences and develop positiveskills can be of assistance. 97Trafficking of childrenSince the 1990s, the substantial traffic inhuman beings, including children, withincountries and across international borders hasaroused major international concern. Statisticson trafficking are imprecise, but the InternationalLabour Organization (ILO) estimatedin 2003 that 1.2 million children are traffickedevery year. 98 The phenomenon is complex, andinteracts with poverty, labour migration flows,demand for cheap labour, and perceptions ormisinformation relating to a better life ‘elsewhere’.Where children are not registered, thelack of identification documents compoundsthe trafficking problem in that childrenbecome easy targets for traffickers, and oncetrafficked they are effectively ‘lost’. 99In certain settings, infants are at particularrisk of abduction for trafficking. For example,in Central America there are reports of infantkidnapping for the US adoption market, sometimesdirectly from the hospital shortly afterbirth. 100In some areas, there are reports of youngchildren being trafficked for begging. At theCambodian border, parents sell or lease theirchildren for use as members of begging groupsin Thai venues. 101 Begging in transport hubs,