Unveiling child trafficking: Local perspectives and context in addressing sustainable development goals in Sierra Leone

Abstract

The 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.