Illegal child trafficking in digital era: a review of legislative inadequacy in Pakistan

Abstract

This thesis aims to address the ever-evolving issue of Illegal Child Trafficking and the role of digital technology to further it within societal and legal landscape of Pakistan. The research is driven by the need for a nuanced examination that considers the legislation in Pakistan, International human rights law and the critical role digital technology. The introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the issue, outlining research objectives and emphasizing the significance of considering the loopholes in law and how digital technology along with the anonymity provided by the dark web has further made eradicating it difficult. The thesis also provides root causes of child trafficking and highlights the prolonged negative impacts trafficking has on child victims. Moreover, emphasis is also placed on how a lack of unified definition of a child in Pakistan has caused problems while dealing with cases of child trafficking. The research gap is identified through a theoretical, contextual, and methodological analysis of previous studies, setting the stage for the current research. The thesis statement succinctly captures the essence of the research, emphasizing the absence of clear legal provisions addressing Child Trafficking and how the digital realm remains uncontrolled in Pakistan. Research questions guide the study, addressing rootcauses of child trafficking, legal provisions, international perspectives, and proposing legal reforms. The literature review highlights the research gaps from previous research articles. The tentative outline provides a structured framework for the thesis, with chapters focusing on the causes, legal landscape, critical analysis of laws, global comparisons, and recommendations for reform. The outcome emphasizes the potential impact of proposed reforms on eradicating the menace of child trafficking keeping in view the best interests of a child. Overall, this thesis aims to achieve in expanding the body of literature on Child trafficking which is considered as a branch of other crimes rather than addressing it as a grave issue on its own requiring immediate attention, providing a foundation for future research and accordingly make legislative measures to address the critical issue of Child Trafficking in Pakistan.