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Unveiling child trafficking: Local perspectives and context in addressing sustainable development goals in Sierra Leone

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  • Alex Balch
  • Anna M. Cody
  • David Okech
  • Tamora Callands
  • Umaru Fofanah
  • Haja Ramatulai Wurie

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included the goal of combating child labor and human trafficking, but regional variations complicate efforts to address these problems. In Sierra Leone, the government has taken steps to address these issues, but challenges remain, particularly in relation to access to education, in rural areas, and for young girls. This article examines local stakeholder understandings of child trafficking, and the distinction between child labor and child work in Sierra Leone. Participants included community leaders and those with lived experience of exploitation. Findings identify complex intersections and overlaps in understandings of these terms, and the ways these connect with norms and expectations impacting children and childhood in Sierra Leone. Lessons are drawn out for local and international policy and programming to incorporate structural factors within a wider lens of child protection, reframing anti‐trafficking to focus on positive aspects of recovery and resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Balch & Anna M. Cody & David Okech & Tamora Callands & Umaru Fofanah & Haja Ramatulai Wurie, 2024. "Unveiling child trafficking: Local perspectives and context in addressing sustainable development goals in Sierra Leone," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(1), pages 78-90, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:15:y:2024:i:1:p:78-90
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.13322
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    3. Amanda Berlan, 2013. "Social Sustainability in Agriculture: An Anthropological Perspective on Child Labour in Cocoa Production in Ghana," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1088-1100, August.
    4. Samonova, Elena & Devine, Dympna & Sugrue, C. & Capistrano, D. & Sloan, S. & Symonds, J., 2021. "‘An empty bag cannot stand upright’: The nature of schooling costs in Sierra Leone," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
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