Child Traffickers Are Using Airlinesfor Sex and Organ Trade, and… Terrorism!
Help CHILDREN ON TOUR preventchild trafficking!
by Rob Waterlander
Across the world, a terrible hidden trade isfuelingthe trafficking ofchildrenfor sex,organ harvesting, andeventerrorism!
ChildrenOnTour(COT)hasdiscovered thatthe Unaccompanied Minor services offeredbyinternationalairlinescaneasilybeexploited bychildtraffickers who use them to transport child victims globally.Thisis likelytosomedayexplodeinto asignificant scandal thatwillexpose thisblack market tradethat currently hidesin plain sight.
The loopholes
The public is little awareofaloopholein thesystemthatallowsanyonetodropoffachildat an airportandhire an unaccompanied minor(UM)service toexpeditethe child, who may be as young as 5 years of age (some Asian airlines allow even younger kids),through security and onto an aircraft.At thechild’sfinal destination,the child is escorted by another UM service handler, expeditedthrough customs and handed off towhatever individual’sname isrecordedasthe‘receiver’in the UM paperwork.
There is noauthorityin place tocheck the validity ofidentification or thepassports of those droppingoff and picking upthe child;there isno database in placeto screen for whether an individual dropping off/picking up the child has a criminal record or is suspected of human trafficking;norare thereguaranteestoverifythat a child’sparentsare the ones whobookedsuch a service.
The onlyrequirementstipulated by mostairlinesis thataUM-form is filled out and thatthe IDdocumentof the persondropping offthe childatthedeparturesarea,as well as the personreceiving the child at thearrivalairport,merelymatches thename supplied on thisUM-form.Itcanliterallybe anyone!The address to which the child is goingisn’trecorded orevenrequiredon the UM-form, which may hamper law enforcementwhen trying totrace a potential victim of child trafficking afterarriving by aircraft.
TheUM servicesarethe perfect package deal for childtraffickersto move their commoditysmoothly,easilyandcompletelyunseen.
The causes
The trafficking of children for sex or organ harvesting is a sick and depraved business run by hardened criminals whose motivation is simply greed. The UM services are also used by people who want to harm Western society on the whole.Recently, COT received information that radicalized children who have become a threat to society itself are being trafficked by and for terrorist organizations.
The West must cut off this transport of recruits before these children develop into tomorrow's suicide attackers. While the West stands united in maintaining and protecting our shared values in the face of terrorism, we also have a responsibility to demand that our leaders tackle this threat in EVERY way possible. Will the citizens of the Western democracies tolerate this threat against our children until the day comes that those children are turned against us?
States obligations and the responsibility of airlines
Airlines andtheInternational Air Transport Association (IATA)are aware of the loopholesin the UM servicesthat turnchildren into an easily transported commodity.The UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crimeand the supplementing Palermo Protocol,aimedatpreventing, suppressingand punishing“People Trafficking,”came into effect in the year2000. The Palermo Protocol urges countries to adopt all possible measures to preventcommercial carriers from being used in the commission of child trafficking. Despite being signed by 117 countries, no signatory state has required airlines to implement initiatives to deter child traffickers. Airlines, however, have a responsibility to do so on their own.
Principle 5(e) of theUNICEFChildren’s Rights and Business Principles states: “The corporate responsibility torespect includes:Seeking to prevent and eliminate the risk that products and services couldbeused to abuse, exploit or otherwise harm children in any way."Thisprinciplethereforecalls for action by airlines tostopchild trafficking within their operations.
To compel such action by airlines,countriescould impose a “duty of care”on airlines that would require them to prevent, with all possible means,third partiesfromusingtheir services totraffic children.The intentional trafficking of children is already penalizedto a point,butinternationalcriminal lawcouldalsobe further developedtospur airlines into action if it would penalize the (unintentional)facilitationof child trafficking.
Up to now therehas simply not been the proper focus onthisissue byairlines.These corporationsseem toturn a blind eye to what is happening! Someday thismightblow up in their faces when airlines and countries find themselves are confronted witha civil case of an Unaccompanied Minorwho is trafficked and harmed because of the known loopholes within airline UM services, or the day a young jihadibecomesresponsible for blowing up your shopping mall, school or football stadium in Europe ortheUnited States.
We as COT suggestsimple solutions to help prevent UMsfrombeing trafficked:
-Establishment of adatabasethat stores:
*Aminor’spassport+notarizedbirthcertificate
*Notarizedmunicipalrecordsoftheperson dropping off,and the person picking up,anychild (pref anyone younger than 18) who is traveling without their parents/unaccompanied.
*Passports oftheadult dropping off,and the adult picking up.
- These records should bechecked and copied by anairportauthority before releasing the childwho isapproved to fly andbefore they leave the airport withtheadultwho ispicking them up.
-Creation ofa simple“UM app” used by all airlinesthat connectsthe information in the databasewith the authorities.
States and airlines:It’stime to act, protect and respect!
What COT has done to fight child trafficking
For the last six years Children on Tour has been working toraise awareness of these issues and the thousands ofchildren worldwide whose futures have been stolen from them by child traffickers. And now we need your help! Please support our campaign and break the silence so that we may see these children protected.
COT has been striving to further these goals by working with government agencies and non-governmental organizations that are at the forefront of combatting human trafficking. COT regularly consults with a formeragent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencyinWashingtonDC, and hasdeveloped a dialoguewith Rob Wainwright, theExecutive Director of Europol. Together they have provided a platform to petition even more professionals engaged in combatting child trafficking.
COTcontinuesto establish links with the Ministries of Justice and the police across many nations.Authorities in most countries cannotcontinue to claim thattheyare unawareof the loopholes and abuses our research has uncovered.
COT has also been working toestablisha dialogue with the European Union's Commission for Home Affairs and the EU's Anti TraffickingCoordinator. Although we have yet to receive a promised response to our initial contacts, we remain optimistic that we can develop aconstructive dialogue with these EU offices in the near future.
Our request
COTcontinuestoendeavor toadvancethe issue of UM reformonto the political agendas throughout Europe.COT’s strategyalsodependson promotingpublic awarenessand garnering public pressuretoachieveinternational reviewandimplementationof the Palermo Protocolandto convinceairlinestorespectwhat is statedinPrinciple 5(e)of“The Children’sRightand Business Principles.”Wethereforeaskyou to support usand joinourcampaignin any wayyoucan.
Please considersharing our information, helping us with funding, or even connectingus withthepeople who can helpin governmental and non-governmental positions orin the media or publishingsectors.We also ask people to support our future petitions and letter writing campaignsin ordertodemonstrate toelectedofficials thatthe public wants action to close thesegaps andloopholes.
The life of a child who is trafficked defiesimagination. Wherever these kids are originally from, please trytoseethem as “our”children,comingfrom our streets and our communities.
We should not let them remain invisible as their lives are being taken away from them. Neither can we allow networks of people who would perpetrate such criminal activity to hide in our midst, unopposed. If weareaware of childtrafficking for sex ororgan trade,it willusuallyinvolvea child we didnotknow personally. However, when achildas young asnineyearsof agehas become a jihadi, suddenly the damage that child can do to ourfriends and loved ones becomes incalculable. All children’s lives are worth saving.
We at COTare dedicated to our cause, and we are confident you will feel the same.
Visit our websitetoday:CHILDRENONTOUR.ORG