Definition of Child Trafficking Elements

· A child - a person under the age of 18;

· Traffic - Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt, whether by force or not, by a third person or group;

· The third person or group organizes the recruitment and/or these other acts for exploitative purposes;

· Movement may not be a constituent element for trafficking in so far as law enforcement and prosecution is concerned. However, an element of movement within a country or across borders is needed - even if minimal - in order to distinguish trafficking from other forms of slavery and slave-like practices enumerated in Art 3 (a) of ILO Convention 182, and ensure that trafficking victims separated from their families do get needed assistance;

· Exploitation includes:

• all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict [Convention 182, Art. 3(a)];

• the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances [Convention No. 182, Art. 3(b)];
• the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties [Convention No. 182, Art. 3(c)];
• work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children (Convention No. 182, Art. 3(d) and Convention No. 138, Art 3);
• work done by children below the minimum age for admission to employment (Convention No. 138, Art. 2 & 7).

· Threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud or deception, or the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability at any point of the recruitment and movement do not need to be present in case of children (other than with adults), but are nevertheless strong indications of child trafficking.