Are we underestimating the impact of modern slavery upon children in Norway?
Within Norway it is common to think of modern slavery as something that happens far away to children and adults abroad. However, this is a result of a misunderstanding of what modern slavery is and how it impacts Norwegian children. This opinion piece will explain the everyday impact modern slavery has in Norway.
ECPAT Norway is part of Alliance 8.7, an inclusive global partnership committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 by 2030.[1] In January 2021 they launched their campaign for the international year to end child labour. This is part of the goal to end the recruitment and use of child labour by 2025.[2]
Is slavery in existence today?
Modern slavery can take on a different form than our historical ideas of slavery but unfortunately it is very real. The 2018 Norwegian Modern Slavery Report details that modern slavery is an umbrella term that refers to various situations where people are grossly exploited, and not free to leave the situation due to threats, violence, coercion, deception and abuse of power.[3] Modern slavery is manifested in the form of illegal exploitation for personal and commercial purposes.
To understand the scale of this issue it is important to highlight shocking statistics set out by the international labour organisation (ILO): 40 million people are trapped in slavery today with 25 million locked in forced labour and 15 million in forced marriage. 71% of all victims of modern slavery are women and girls.[4]
There is widespread recognition of the existence of modern slavery in agriculture or mines abroad. However, it is important not to overlook the impact of modern slavery through the sexual exploitation affecting both children and adults. The ILO describes how this can involve the forced sexual exploitation of adults and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Additionally forced marriage can be included within this category.
How can children be involved in modern slavery?
ILO Convention 1999 (No. 182) defines the worst forms of child labour as slavery, debt bondage, prostitution, pornography, forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, use of children in drug trafficking and other illicit activities, and all other work harmful or hazardous to the health, safety or morals of girls and boys under 18 years of age.[5]
The convention clarifies that the commercial sexual exploitation of children – through prostitution or pornography – is one of the worst forms of child labour. It has been reported by the ILO that children comprise more than a fifth of all victims of commercial sexual exploitation – more than 1 million victims were under the age of 18.[6]
When does the commercial exploitation of Norwegian children occur?
Commercial exploitation occurs when children are exploited and in return may receive gifts or direct monetary payments. As the ILO explains; ‘commercial sexual exploitation of children is the exploitation by an adult with respect to a child or an adolescent – female or male – under 18 years old; accompanied by a payment in money or in kind to the child or adolescent (male or female) or to one or more third parties.’[7] Similarly, the Stockholm Declaration adopted at the World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (1996) defines the commercial sexual exploitation of children as “a form of coercion and violence against children (that) amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery,”[8]
Based upon these definitions a large number of children in Norway are subject to one of the worst forms of child labour. Statistics produced by the Norwegian Media Authority’s Children and Media Survey provide an insight into the scale of the issue. In their 2020 report they detailed that 12% of young people between the ages of 13-18 have shared a nude photo and 13% of these children have been paid for it in the form of gifts or money.[9] This amounts to around 6000 young people in Norway.[10] These findings are supported by KRIPOS (the Norwegian police) reports noting that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of children who sell sexualised images and / or films of themselves (self-produced abuse material) on the internet.[11]
Recently there have been various stories in Norwegian media detailing where children or young people are groomed and befriended through supposed friends online. They have then been enticed, encouraged or forced into sending indecent images.[12] Aftenposten published a story on the 20th December 2021 detailing a shocking trend in which children as young as 8 and 9 years old are sending nude or indecent images for money.[13] In this story they explain how the behaviour has become normalised and Norwegian children are encouraging other children to send sexualised images as an ‘easy way’ to make money. A concerning development, reported by KRIPOS, is that the nature of this content has become more extreme. The adults who wish to purchase these explicit images are not content with a nude image but are requiring the children to perform gratuitous and degrading sex acts upon themselves and others in return for payment.
Unfortunately, these estimated numbers may not demonstrate the full extent of the problem. The nature of online images mean children and young people can often feel a significant amount of shame in sending them and are unwilling to talk about it.[14] Furthermore, victims may not identify themselves as victims and they may not understand that they are being exploited.[15] A young person may be groomed into believing that selling sexual acts and giving money to their ‘boyfriend’ is acceptable in exchange for a relationship. Or that selling images to a ‘sugar daddy’ provides them with a glamourous lifestyle they desire entirely based upon their own decisions.
Does modern slavery impact upon children in Norway long term?
The long-term repercussions of this are significant and children and young people may not fully appreciate how their actions can affect their future. It is very hard to remove images once they are shared online. If a child has sold an image of themselves they may find it extremely difficult to get this image taken down. Reports of images continually being reuploaded are a daily problem. Project Arachnid, run by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, has demonstrated that images can remain online for over 10 years continually being reuploaded year after year.[16]
Many victims who have shared sexualised images of themselves as children have expressed deep regret when they appreciate the impact of their actions. This can range from not wanting to leave their house and being ridiculed at school or in future employment when people recognise them.[17] Significantly, many end up fearing that their future is limited as a result.
This is a devastating reality of modern slavery that is impacting upon the daily lives of children in Norway. We have to work together to stop it, to protect children, their futures and ensure prompt removal of images.
[1] TARGET 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.
https://indicators.report/targets/8-7/
[2] https://www.alliance87.org/the-alliance/
[3] EN NORSK MODERNE SLAVERILOV 2018 Kampanje for en moderne slaverilov i Norge - Rafto
[4] Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking (Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking) (ilo.org)
[5] Convention C182 - Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) (ilo.org)
[6] Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: FORCED LABOUR AND FORCED MARRIAGE Pg 39
[7] Commercial sexual exploitation of children (IPEC) (ilo.org)
[8]Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action, Stockholm, 1996, Paragraph 5. Found in the Luxembourg Guidelines https://ecpat.org/luxembourg-guidelines/
See also the 2006 Report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children also recognizes that the exploitation of children under 18 in prostitution, child pornography and similar activities constitutes violence.
[9] ta-praten-om-deling-av-nakenbilder.pdf (medietilsynet.no)
See also Nakenbildedeling | Barnevakten
[10] https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/05196/tableViewLayout1/
[11] Mottakers navn (politiet.no)
[12] https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/kjoper-overgrepsmateriale-med-vipps-1.15396135
[13] https://www.aftenposten.no/oslo/i/V9od2d/barn-og-unge-sender-overgrepsmateriale-og-faar-betalt-paa-vipps-de-rekr
[14] https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/kjoper-overgrepsmateriale-med-vipps-1.15396135
[15] Wood, Laura C.N.. (2020). Child modern slavery, trafficking and health: a practical review of factors contributing to children’s vulnerability and the potential impacts of severe exploitation on health. BMJ Paediatrics Open.