Trigger warning: mentions of child abuse
An art series titled “Behind the Scenes of Child Trafficking”, looks at both: child traffickers and the survivors of child trafficking.
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The Background Of The Art Project
As part of the Middle Years Programme (MYP), in year 5 (class 10), I needed to create a personal project. This consists of two major parts: a learning outcome consisting of the product, and a report which is a reflection of the investigation.
My goal for this project was to learn and raise awareness about the neurological and psychological states of both a child trafficker and a survivor. Research is the most crucial part of the project. My research had two parts: secondary and primary, both of which were of equal value to the investigation.
I chose to depict my learning outcome in the form of an acrylic on canvas, art-series, as painting has been a passion of mine for as long as I can recall. The below write-up is a broad yet brief representation of the situation of child trafficking, and an explanation of it through my art series.
The name of the art series is: “Behind the Scenes of Child Trafficking”. Through this series and article, I intend to raise awareness about child trafficking as a human rights issue. Along with this, I also discuss the neurological and psychological states of both the child trafficker and the victim.
Global Background On Child Trafficking
The “Global Report on Drugs and Trafficking” in 2020, by the UNODC (United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime) revealed that over 50,000 cases of human trafficking were detected and reported by 148 countries.
However, the actual number would be much higher since a large number of cases do not get detected and reported. One-third of those cases are children. Over 38% of the trafficked people end up in forced begging.
In low-income countries, children make up half of the victims detected, and are mainly trafficked for forced labour (46%). In higher income countries, children are trafficked mainly for sexual exploitation, forced criminality, or begging.
The UNODC report points to south Asia, including India, being home to trafficking of children as young as 12. They are forced to work in brick kilns, hotels, the garment and agriculture industries, among others.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2019, about 26,500 cases of crime against children were reported, with Uttar Pradesh (UP) reporting close to 3,400 cases.
How Does Child Trafficking Happen?
The UNODC report suggests that victims are targeted when they are vulnerable; and the COVID-19 economic recession has resulted in more children, especially girls, being at risk of getting trafficked.
Traffickers target victims who are marginalised or in difficult circumstances. Undocumented migrants and people who are in desperate need of employment are also vulnerable, particularly to trafficking for forced labour.
Criminals trafficking children generally target victims from extremely poor households, dysfunctional families, or those who are abandoned with no parental care.
Traffickers take advantage of pre-existing factors to draw children into trafficking. These are: economic needs (51%); mental, behavioural or neurological disorders (10%); child with a dysfunctional family (20%); child deprived of parental care (9%), among other factors.
Listening To The Pains Of Survivors
I interviewed two survivors of child trafficking: a girl from UP who was forced into a child marriage, and another one from West Bengal who was trapped for sexual exploitation. Their stories unfolded factors such as poverty, gender inequality and a weak security system.
But, most glaringly, it came out as a breach of trust by family members and relatives of the victims.
As a part of my primary research, I surveyed experts and NGO (non-governmental organisations) workers to get their perspectives on the neurological and psychological drivers behind child trafficking.
Through this enlightening part of my research plan I was able to develop a good understanding of the neurological and psychological aspects impacting victims.
However, I was unable to gather much information about the neurological aspect in traffickers, as there has been no noted consistency in the neurological states of child traffickers.
The UNODC report also admitted that the knowledge base on traffickers’ motivations and decision-making is still nascent. But, the psychological aspect of traffickers was also explored to an extent, and will be further explained through my paintings
The Three Ts Of Child Trafficking
Based on analysis and interpretation from my secondary and primary research data, I was able to identify three major stages in child trafficking, I chose to call them the three Ts: trap, torture, and trauma.
I have used “forced begging” as a scenario and depicteded it in the following series:
This piece is a metaphorical visual representation of the selection process traffickers have in place, represented in the form of a snack vending machine.
It attempts to convey what the traffickers look for while selecting the ideal victim to perform their desired tasks. These are essentially factors which lead to child trafficking, which include some of what has been described by the UNODC report, and observations from my research.
They are what contribute to the child falling prey to trafficking, and what make the traffickers feel as though they have control and in creating a sense of fairness in their actions.
These factors help the traffickers convince themselves that what they are doing is right and, in some cases, good for the child (who is no longer suffering in their “painful” family conditions.
This is often their first line of defense in the event they are caught.
Stage 2: Torture – All Strings Attached
This piece attempts to communicate the torturous tasks a child has to perform in control of a trafficker, and their powerlessness against such acts. One of the many
Forced begging is a tactic used by the traffickers to extract money through the children, as people in the society tend to sympathise more with the children on the streets, than with adults for instance.
We, as privileged members of society, feel good when we provide for these children by giving them a few bucks. We feel like we have given them a day’s meal, or maybe two, if we were feeling generous.
However, the damage truly being done to the child is almost entirely unheard of.
Stage 3: Trauma – A Painful Oasis
This piece showcases the mental state of the survivors of a torturous experience. Both my survivor case studies shared the horrors 
The truth, therefore, is that rescue is not where the torture ends. Even after being rescued, survivors suffer through an immense amount of trauma.
The painting depicts one of the most common symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in which the affected often think about painful scenarios from their past.
It is ironical that in 2021, when the International Labour Organization observed the international year for the elimination of child labour, the world saw a surge of child labour, induced significantly by human trafficking networks (UNICEF, 2021).
The UNODC report says that, “Strategies to prevent trafficking in persons may also include locally based actions aimed at reducing the incentive to engage in illicit conduct [of trafficking].”
My research, that led me to frame the three Ts of child trafficking, strengthens the need for locally based actions, to make children more aware of the threat of trafficking.
More importantly, it begs us to ask how do we better understand the neurological state of the traffickers, in order to take a holistic approach for the prevention of child trafficking, as promised under the UN Convention of child rights.
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Written by Kashyapi Rath, a student of Pathways School Gurugram.