AbstractThe 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.
Informal fostering is an important tradition for many communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the intersections of poverty and social circumstances may increase the risk of exploitation for informally fostered children. We used mixed methods to estimate the prevalence of child trafficking within informal child fostering placements in Sierra Leone, to document vulnerability factors and explore perceptions of key stakeholders. Data were collected through 1) a household survey (N= 3,070), 2) interviews (N= 41) with young adults who experienced child trafficking in informal fostering, parents of children who experienced trafficking in foster placements, and key informants, and 3) focus groups with community members (N= 23). We found that informal fostering increases the likelihood for children to experience trafficking. Although there are significant associations between child trafficking and informal fostering, social (gender and cultural traditions) and economic factors (poverty and school access) appear to be drivers for both. Our results suggest that strengthening poverty reduction measures, expanding opportunities for schooling and vocational training for children and young adults, and improving safety for children in informal fostering arrangements through reporting and monitoring are essential to mitigate the high rates of child trafficking in Sierra Leone, and to ensure children's well-being in informal fostering placements.