6 Most Common Forms of Child Exploitation

Children are very vulnerable, every child deserves to grow up healthy and safe from harm. The early years of a child’s life are very crucial to their physical and mental health development.

Poverty is a major cause of child exploitation. Negligence, cruelty, abuse and violence are activities that cause detrimental effects to a child’s physical or mental health, education, social and moral development. To protect and help an abused child, it is important to seek legal advice from one of the best law firms like Appleton criminal defense lawyer. Expert legal practitioners can best handle and defend cases and other encountered situations about child abuse.

Below are 7 of the most common forms of child exploitation:

Sexual Exploitation

This is when a minor child is used and forced to take part or engage in a sexual activity. Other examples of an actual act of sexual abuse are:

- child pornography
- rape
- incest
- sexual slavery

Child Labor

Forcing a child to work deprives him/her of her childhood, dignity and potential. Some of these abused children are exposed to extreme and dangerous work that exceeds reasonable hours. Examples of child labor are:

- children working in mines, factories and construction
- children working in agriculture
- domestic servitude or live-in help

Child Marriage

Though we are already living in the cyber era, forced child marriage is still practiced in some countries. This harmful practice is a clear violation of human rights, preventing girls from living their lives freely. It takes away not only the girl’s childhood but her future as well.

Child Soldiers

Gangs and non-state armed groups are forcing  children in the military. This practice has been running in some cultures for so many years. Children have been taught how to fire guns and have been involved and participated in armed conflicts.

Forced Criminality

Organized group of criminals are forcing children to commit different crimes by street begging, pick-pocketing, bag snatching and theft.

Organ Trafficking

Because no one is too young to be an organ donor, there are plenty of reports that some groups of criminal gangs are operating in organ trade. Criminal networks increasingly engage in kidnappings, especially of children and harvesting their organs for sale on the black market.

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