It is undeniable that the issue of child abduction in
America is a visceral topic that reaps an emotional response. However, it is
important to, in dealing with global issues, keep an analytical and
comprehensive perspective in order to best understand and remedy the conflict. In
this post, I will be looking at a few important statistics of the kidnapping
tragedy as presented in a NPR radio segment conducted by Robert Siegel.
In the segment, Benjamin Lawrance, the Barber B. Conable Jr.
Endowed Chair in International Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology,
brought attention to three crucial facets of the social issue.
The significant
historical dimensions, according to Lawrance, are the ongoing prevalence of
child trafficking, the ongoing prevalence of forced marriage and the ongoing
rich tradition of using children in conflict, both as soldiers and also in
various forms of service.
“In 2003 the ILO
estimated there were at least 15 million children in Nigeria that were working
of whom 40 percent were themselves either trafficked or likely to have been
trafficked or vulnerable to trafficking.”(Lawrance)
That translates to about 6 million children in the Nigerian
population who are victims of the system.
How much do these kids amount to in the eyes of their
government? A minuscule 3.5 million.
And that’s not even the worst part.
Most likely due to the close ties of extremist groups to
child abduction, the Nigerian government has combined the counter-trafficking
initiative with a “sort of anti-terrorism project.” While this does remedy part of the problem, it
certainly does not fix all of the numerous complications that arise when
children are trafficked. The program is focused on militant elimination, not
saving children, though more often than not, the two overlap. Even worse, this means
that not all of the funds are going to anti-trafficking.
While the agenda is making progress, justice is not always
served.
“There are a couple of
hundred cases last year,( annually)…and only half of those or a third of those
result in a conviction. The vast majority of those convictions result only in a
criminal fine….between 300 and $600.” (Lawarance)
As this statistic shows, abduction is drastically becoming
part of normal day to day life for regions in the African continent. For a
multitude of reasons, child trafficking/kidnapping has seen a sharp rise in the
past few years especially. This redefines this ancient practice as a modern day
issue that needs modern day solutions.
Wow, this article absolutely eye opening. We all knew it was bad but when you put statistics behind it, it becomes and even greater reality. One article I read said they aren't even concerned because "they don't always kill them." Truly sickening. Question, if you lived in Africa, what would you do if your child was kidnapped? Is it almost accepted now as normal?
ReplyDeleteWhen you put facts behind a statement, that is usually what makes people believe it. How did Africa let these numbers get that high? What were the prevention methods and which ones are still being used to this day? I cannot comprehend how these people are able to commit such violent acts and not think twice about it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this has become more or less normalizd in Africa.It is partly due to the basic inability of the families to do anything.In Long Way Gone,Beah and his friends were separated from his family,making them easy pickings for the army.Even if they had been with their parents, the adults would have been powerless to stop the soliders from taking who they wanted, as the soliders had weapons, and the average citizen does not.
ReplyDeleteWow, really just wow! Seeing this just puts in a state of shock. It's incredibly weird to me. I always think if we don't have problems such as these why do other countries have these problems. Of course i understand our governments and how things are run are completely different but still there had to have been some way to prevnet all of this before it started, or least stopped before things got this bad.
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