Child Labor Trafficking: Ending the Cycle

Child labor trafficking is still present across the world in both developing and developed countries. Yet child labor trafficking is often not the focus of any legislative action, often put to the side so the emphasis is on child sex trafficking. This has led to poor legal measures that inadequately address child labor trafficking. This article discusses the relevance of child labor trafficking today and what limitations persist for research on human trafficking in general. Then, this article discusses the various definitions for human trafficking and child trafficking within the U.S. and abroad. Child labor trafficking is also distinguished from child sex trafficking, and factors that have been found to increase a child's vulnerability are discussed. Next, the current legal responses in the U.S. and abroad are explored and their respective limitations exposed. To address these limitations and to further combat child labor trafficking, various approaches to changing the U.S. system are discussed with the hope that the U.S.'s current mentorship would be expanded and applied abroad with the goal to end child labor trafficking.