Child Trafficking in Southeastern Europe: Different Forms of Trafficking and Alternative Interventions

Abstract

This Article will consider trafficking in minors from and within Southeastern Europe
(SEE), with particular attention to trafficking for labor, begging, delinquency, and adoption, all
manifestations of trafficking that increasingly are being identified in this region. Through a
discussion of these forms of trafficking and an exploration of profiles of affected victims, this

Article will seek to identify trafficking risks. This exercise will draw a carefully derived picture of
the contributors to trafficking, individual and social sites of vulnerability, and victims’ recruitment
and trafficking experiences. In so doing, this Article aims to challenge the hegemonic
representations of trafficking in the region, which have primarily focused on trafficking of young
adult women for sexual exploitation. In addition, this Article will consider the existing assistance
framework in the SEE region and how this does (or does not) meet the needs of minors trafficked
for these less-considered forms of exploitation. Answers to such queries provide potential
windows of policy and programmatic opportunity. The overall objective of this Article is to move
toward a more accurate understanding of the issue and, perhaps most importantly, more effective
policy and programs.