Electronic Child Trafficking within the Framework of International Law

Abstract

Crime in its modern form has become easier under the system of globalization. Scientific advancements in information, its transmission, and communication play a prominent role in this. Modern communication and information devices have become widely available, encouraging the development of new methods for committing crimes, thus becoming one of the byproducts of scientific and technological progress. Undoubtedly, despite its positive aspects, this progress has contributed effectively to facilitating and spreading these crimes, including child trafficking, which has become a form of transnational organized crime perpetrated by organized criminal gangs that have adopted modern technology to facilitate their criminal activities. Electronic trafficking has become the dominant feature of child trafficking, posing a challenge to the entire international community and criminal policies in particular in deterring and suppressing such emerging criminal phenomena. This issue is considered a recurring criminal phenomenon; it is not a recent phenomenon, as history bears witness to numerous cases of child trafficking and slavery. This phenomenon continues to expand and evolve in its forms, methods, and even the individuals involved, leading us to the digital age and the emergence of online trafficking targeting this vulnerable yet crucial segment of society. Given the importance and gravity of this issue, we have chosen to investigate it and examine its most significant challenges. The research topic was studied through two sections. The first section dealt with the concept of electronic child trafficking and its forms within two requirements. The first requirement was dedicated to defining electronic child trafficking, while the second requirement was dedicated to explaining its forms. The second section dealt with the causes and effects of child trafficking and international protection from it, also within two requirements. The first requirement was concerned with the causes and effects of electronic child trafficking, while the second requirement dealt with explaining the role of information technology in this trafficking and the effectiveness of international efforts in addressing it.