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BBC report on Child Slavery with Rageh Omaar
To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery the BBC has broadcast a moving documentary with Rageh Omaar exposing the kind of modern day child slavery that EveryChild is fighting to prevent in many parts of the world.
This World, broadcast on BBC2 on Mon 27th March, looked at the lives of children in three different continents. Travelling to Cambodia, Ethiopia, India and Peru, Rageh exposed many of the issues EveryChild is dealing with and spoke directly to some of the partner organisations we work with.
It is estimated that over a million children are trafficked each year around the world, ending up as domestic servants, menial labourers and, most horrifically of all, as child prostitutes for the sex industry. Once separated from their families these children are vulnerable and exposed.
This is why EveryChild's focus on child separation is so important. By tackling the issues that lead to families breaking up, we can prevent children being put in danger. As Rageh explained there are many reasons why children are being bought and sold as mere commodities all over the world. Some are sold to child traffickers by desperately poor parents, and others are bonded labour paying off family debts. Many are simply economic slaves, forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions just to supplement a pitiful family income in order to survive.
EveryChild is fighting to support vulnerable families, helping them to overcome the worst aspects of poverty and ensuring that they are able to look after their own children.
Visit the BBC website to learn more about Rageh Omaar's 'This World' programme
How you can help
There are a number of ways you can help children living in poverty, many of whom are vulnerable to the worst kinds of abuse: