Identification and referral

The identification of a child in need is the first step towards providing the care and protection they are entitled to. Identifying a trafficked child, in particular, may be challenging.

Difficulties in identification

The vast majority of children on the move are children who have chosen to migrate in order to find work, join family members or access education. The majority are not trafficked and may be considered as 'working children', 'unaccompanied asylum-seeking children' or 'child migrants' rather than exploited or trafficked children.

Children who have been trafficked or are being exploited may not wish to be identified as they fear a response from the trafficker, the family or state authorities. In many cases the child may not even consider him/ herself to be a 'victim' and may not even understand what trafficking is, therefore is highly unlikely to self-identify.

For some children who are being sexually exploited by older 'friends' or 'boyfriends', these children may not recognise the exploitation or feel that they are in control of the situation and are choosing to engage in the exploitative activites.

Techniques to aid in identification

Due to the complex, illegal and hidden nature of child sexual exploitation and trafficking, identifying those children in need requires innovative techniques.

Such techniques may include the employment of active outreach workers and mobile units; establishment of drop-in centres; regular training of groups likely to come into contact with these children in their daily work; awareness-raising activities and the creation and effective publicity of child-friendly hotlines.

Establishing the age of a victim

One of the most problematic elements of identification is to correctly establish the age of the child. If the child is mistaken as an adult due to the lack of identity documents or possession of false documentation, the child will not receive the level of protection they have the right to receive under international legislation. If the age of the victim is uncertain, but there are reasons to believe they may be under 18, in the case of trafficking, state parties should always treat them as a minor under law.

Interviewing the child

When a child is identified it is necessary to collect a range of information from the child in order to find out the child's circumstances, protect the child and arrest and prosecute those responsible for any crimes. Interviewing children can lead to further trauma so it is important that those carrying out the interview are aware of how to communicate in a child-friendly manner. It is likely that children will be involved in many different interviews during the recovery and reintegration phase and therefore this is a critical aspect for practitioners to get right.

Case management

Once a child has been identified, a case manager or 'guardian' should be appointed for the child. The case manager should advocate on the child's behalf, coordinate an effective response and ensure any action taken is in the best interests of the child.

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