Socio-Cultural Determinants of Child Trafficking in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Child trafficking is a form of human trafficking. It is the act of illegally taking and relocating, transporting or kidnapping a child typically for the purpose of forced labour, slavery and all levels of exploitation. This study examined the socio-cultural determinants of child
trafficking using Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria as its study area. Three objectives were developed for the study while structural strain theory developed by Robert K. Merton was adopted as the theoretical framework. One hundred
and ninety-four (194) questionnaires were distributed to respondents whose age ranges from 13. The findings showed that poverty, ignorance and unemployment are the major socio-cultural determinants of child trafficking in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. The
study therefore recommended that Government should do everything possible to tackle the issue of poverty in the state and that there should be policy that encourages parents to have the number of children they can adequately train.