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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 85909, member: 27"] Kids are getting smuggled across the border, dumped when the heat rises, and adults keep failing them while everyone argues policy. Child smuggling alarm at the border [LIST] [*]The International Organisation for Migration warns of rising child smuggling cases. [*]Targets the Zimbabwe-South Africa crossing hot spots. [*]Calls for governments and civil society to act together. [/LIST] How kids end up crossing [LIST] [*]Spikes hit during school and public holidays. [*]Shipped unaccompanied with bus crews or Omalaitsha. [*]Left stranded in bush areas when patrols tighten. [/LIST] Why does this cross into a crisis [LIST] [*]The UN Protocol against the smuggling of migrants defines paid illegal crossings. [*]Consent rules collapse when children are involved. [*]Shifts straight into child protection territory. [/LIST] IOM takes on prevention [LIST] [*]Fadzai Nyamande-Pangeti pushes community-level risk awareness. [*]Calls for simpler legal travel options for families. [*]Says paperwork access reduces illegal routes. [/LIST] Root causes driving bad choices [LIST] [*]Poverty pressures families into risky decisions. [*]Education gaps make options feel limited. [*]Weak social services fuel desperation. [/LIST] Whom should enforcement target [LIST] [*]Fadzai Nyamande-Pangeti says smugglers, not parents. [*]Criminalizing families pushes routes underground. [*]Backs intelligence-led policing and financial tracking. [/LIST] Damage was done to the children [LIST] [*]Journeys trigger anxiety, depression, and PTSD. [*]Separation and instability wreck long-term well-being. [*]Sexual exploitation risk stays high throughout transit. [/LIST] What coordinated action looks like [LIST] [*]Awareness paired with legal migration paths. [*]Socioeconomic support to reduce pressure. [*]Focus stays on protection, not punishment. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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