12:52PM
State Department: Human trafficking report
Frederik Richter
Most of the Gulf countries have made it onto the Tier 3 list (those countries with the worst record in human trafficking, according to the report) of the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report 2007: Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. UAE is on the Tier 2 watch list.
So is Egypt. From the report:
I'm surprised at this large number of street children in Cairo. Does anyone have other sources on this?
What I also heard is that Cairo's chronically underfunded state-run orphanages are using this to make some extra money (or their employees).
The full report can be downloaded here.
So is Egypt. From the report:
Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and other
Eastern European countries to Israel for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and may be a source for
children trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. Reports indicate
that some of Cairo’s estimated 1 million street children — both girls and boys — are exploited in
prostitution.
I'm surprised at this large number of street children in Cairo. Does anyone have other sources on this?
In addition, wealthy men from the Gulf reportedly travel to Egypt to purchase “temporary
marriages� with Egyptian women, including in some cases girls who are under age 18, often apparently as
a front for commercial sexual exploitation facilitated by the females’ parents and marriage brokers.
What I also heard is that Cairo's chronically underfunded state-run orphanages are using this to make some extra money (or their employees).
The full report can be downloaded here.
Reader Comments (8)
That sounds like an awful lot of street kids, though that might include street-working as well as street-living.
It's infuriating that all these kids are rotting in orphanages and possibly being sold into prostitution all in the name of observing the religious proscription of adoption. For shame.
I am aware of cases where girls in orphanages work as prostitutes to feed themselves.
I'm not sure it's really about the religious proscription... Couples generally seem determined to have their own kids, and can't seem to countenance the idea of taking on an added financial burden if it's not your own blood.
As far as I understand, the proscription is about giving your name to the child, and other technical issues, but not about taking a child in and raising it as your own.
In case of the orphans, the cover is not adoption but marriage. It is concluded in the presence of a religious guy authorized to do so (more or less with the pretense to let the legal marriage follow later on), and then canceled - after the girl has spent a week in one of Cairo's five-star hotels, but before concluding the legal marriage.
Cosmic, adoption is outlawed for religious reasons, to the best of my knowledge. Though of course the social pressure to have one's own kids and taboos against adoption also play a part, I think it can be argued that there would still be a market for adoption. But that might be primarily among the Westernized, or expats, or heaven forbid, foreigners, which would be a whole other can of worms. No, best let the children be farmed out for exploitation locally.
Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine, and it's not just Egypt that suffers from this misplaced sense of pride in keeping orphans starving but honorably unadopted.
yuck
Adoption is not outlawed in Egypt. The restrictions with regards to adoption have to do with not being able to give the child your last name. Islam doesnt forbid adoption it just forbids chaing the childs last name to your own. You are allowed to adopt and raise the child like your own but they must keep their own last name.
Leeza, could you explain further, please? I was under the impression that a child couldn't be legally adopted by non-relatives or by those of a different religion.
I believe the closest terms to be used here is "kafalat el yateem"--to the best of my knoweledge you may take the kid to live with you in ur home and provide all the financial and non-care and love -yet you do not give them your surname..so it is different from what the term "adopotion" in the western legal sense-i assume it could/would entail the same except for the passing on your surname-major difference I suppose-physhological ramifications on the kid at least the younger they are--not that the government laws policies and/or practices necessarily reflects or represnet the will of the people, but i think, by and large, you would not find many egyptian (muslims at least) willing to go for or push for adoption in the western sense, just becoz it contradicts relegion--but does not corruption contradict it too???? On a different note, i believe we are mixing here apples and oranges--street children versus orphans..many of the street children are not orphanes and they have special horrible reception houses to host them, which makes the street a better alternative..i heard the figure between 2-3 million but there is no good statistic-as it is claimed, street children is a moving target...there is a well made doc on the subject called "el Banat Doul" attempting to put the plight of street children (it focuses on girls) on the front burner...tough life and tough society they have to face every second