Risk Factors Associated with Migrating Children

Lliani Arthurs

Director of the Department of Human Services, Lliani Arthurs told News Five that of great concern are the risk factors associated with unaccompanied minors.   Arthurs pulled no punches warning parents about the exploitation and human rights violations that can occur, even for children travelling with someone known to the family.

Lliani Arthurs, Director, Department of Human Services

“Parents have to recognise that even though they want what is best for their children, they have to consider what they are potentially putting their children through in terms of making these types of decisions. It is a high risk situation for these children to be put into the hands of others who do not have their best interests at heart. So children become risk for trafficking in persons where they think this person is best and then these people put them in situations to exploit them or to hurt them. We know of children that have gone through other human rights violations in terms of the length of time these travelling take, the conditions that they are made to stay in and the constant movement to different places and houses that increases the risk factors for them to being raped like I said and also for being trafficked.  And so parents have to be warned that sending them unaccompanied definitely puts them in dangerous situations and I can’t emphasise that enough. You could end up with a dead child, you could end up with a child raped, you could never see your child again and so I really caution people against making these types of choices because you think that’s what’s best for your child because once that child leaves your care and protection, you have no control over what happens to that child.”