Boys and girls, as young as seven, are trafficked, primarily for their labour. The journeys involved can be dangerous and there have been reports of children dying along the route, particularly when travelling by sea in unseaworthy vessels. The children are smuggled both within national boundaries and across international frontiers, sometimes with the collaboration of border guards.
Poverty is central to why parents send their children to work.
But the realities of what most of these children have to face along the route and once they reach their destination are not widely known. Although many of those who are trafficked ultimately do not earn the money promised and the conditions in which they are forced to live and work range from basic to brutal, the reality of one less mouth to feed for a poor household makes a significant difference. The lure of well-paid work not only attracts parents, but in some cases children go to 'recruiters' themselves, often believing that they will have a good job in the city. Apart from the dangerous journey which most of these children face, they are forced to work long hours in harsh conditions. Their working hours, regardless of age and sex, range from ten to 20 hours per day, up to seven days a week, without any time for rest, recreation or education.