Child Trafficking In South Africa Essay

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, children of the age seventeen and below represent 26% of total victims in human trafficking, which is five and a half million children worldwide (USCCB n.pag.). Human trafficking, which is the illegal trading or selling of human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation constitutes a major social issue in the Church. The Church approaches social issues by stating an opinion on the problem and a plan to overcome it. They recognize that child trafficking is a major issue in today 's world, show us how we should approach it, and are currently trying to eradicate it. As stated in The Rawlins Daily Times states that 30,000 children are trafficked in South Africa …show more content…
The Catechism states, "Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2351). When lust is acted upon, it belittles the beauty of the unity between man and woman, especially when forced into the action as a child. Trafficking mainly targets women and children but does not discriminate against genders. Child trafficking continues to spread across the whole globe, dispersing everywhere. As human beings we are made in the image and likeness of God, which provides us with dignity (Francois n. pag.). Therefore, humans are born with dignity that can neither be broken, nor taken away. Despite the Church 's position on the innate, inviolable, and inalienable human dignity, trafficking is an action that directly affects one 's capability to be fully human. When a child is trafficked, they develop psychological issues, causing long term affects and consistently reminding them of the tragedy they endured (Rafferty n.pag.). The Catechism