Date: 2 - 4 November 2004
Location: Osnabrueck, Germany

It is estimated that more than a million boys and girls are victims of child
trafficking each year - an unscrupulous business that is worth hundreds of millions.
Children are sold to be used as cheap labour, in agriculture, in industry, in
households or as thieves, beggars and prostitutes. Apart from this, babies are sold
for commercial adoption, and girls are sold as brides for arranged marriages.

The child relief organisation Terre des Hommes initiated an International Campaign
against Child Trafficking in October 2001, which is active in more than 30 countries
across the globe. It aims to improve protection and support opportunities for
victims of this heinous trade, and calls for the implementation of an adequate legal
framework to make sure that the offenders are punished. More than 900 organisations
worldwide are partners in the campaign STOP CHILD TRAFFICKING.

The conference "Stop Child Trafficking" will round off the activities of the
international Terre des Hommes Campaign against Child Trafficking. On the basis of
experience gained till date, representatives from politics, authorities,
institutions, media and project work will discuss the present status of the problem,
and will collectively draft restrictive measures to further curtail commercial
exploitation of children. Workshops, lectures and discussions that are also open to
the public at large will highlight the background and methods used in child
trafficking. Legal and political issues in the fight against this crime, which knows
no geographical boundary, are also on the agenda of the conference.

The goal is an action-oriented dialogue between national and international
specialists. This will also serve as a forum for knowledge exchange and further
development in the existing activities. The conference should close with a common
final document that includes precise recommendations for an effective fight against
child trafficking. [Source: CRIN]

For more information, contact:
Claudia Ehlers
Terre des Hommes Germany
International Campaign against Child Trafficking
Tel: + 49 (0)541 7101 115
Email: c.ehlers@tdh.de