The International Organization for Migration (IOM) urged governments at the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Marrakesh to place migration and trafficking in persons at the center of efforts to end child labor, calling for stronger data, research, and cross-border cooperation to better protect children on the move, the agency said this week. According to the latest available IOM data, more than 125,000 victims of trafficking have been officially identified worldwide, although the true number is believed to be significantly higher due to widespread underreporting and gaps in detection. Of those identified, close to 30,000 are children—meaning nearly one in four detected victims globally is a child.
“Millions of children on the move face heightened risks of exploitation and trafficking, yet they remain too often invisible in global policies and protection systems,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope in her video message. “We must act now—across borders and across sectors—to close these alarming protection gaps and ensure that every child, everywhere, is safe.”
During the event, IOM underscored the importance of stronger data and research to identify risks, inform prevention efforts, and guide targeted responses. Recent evidence, including a joint IOM-Harvard study analyzing two decades of child trafficking data, highlights the complex links between child labor, migration, and trafficking in persons. The findings point to the need for closer alignment between child protection, migration, and anti-trafficking systems.
The organization also highlighted progress under the IOM-Save the Children-UNICEF Global Programme on Protection for Migrant Children. Collaboration with governments in the East and Horn of Africa and North Africa is strengthening cross-border case management and referral systems to reduce risks faced by children along migration routes.
IOM called for sustained investment in partnerships to support policies and programs that prevent exploitation and protect children in situations of vulnerability, as well as stronger global indicators that reflect the realities of migration and trafficking in persons.
