Making history: People, Process and Participation. Mekong Children’s Forum on Human Trafficking

In February 2004, the ILO, through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour’s Mekong Sub-regional Project to Combat Trafficking in Children and Women joined forces with Save the Children UK’s Community-based Initiatives Against Trafficking in Children in the Mekong Sub-region (the Cross-border Project) to advocate on behalf of children in the Greater Mekong Sub-region vulnerable to human trafficking and labour exploitation. This joint-initiative, ‘Voices of Children’, culminated with a gathering of children in Bangkok from five countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region – Cambodia, China’s Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces, Lao PDR, Northern Thailand and Viet Nam. The children participating in these forums were given the opportunity to share their views and knowledge on human trafficking and discuss their suggestions with ministers and senior Government officials involved in the fight against trafficking. National media were also invited to present the children’s recommendations and dialogue with officials to the public at large. The report is divided into three parts: The first part looks at ethical and practical considerations of children’s participation; the second part covers the forum proceedings and the third includes recommendations for moving forward.