Digital technologies are transforming how people connect, learn, and access opportunities. They are also creating new spaces in which criminal networks can identify, approach, deceive, manipulate, recruit, and exploit children and young people. Under this year’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam,” WFAD recognises the growing risks posed by online exploitation and the ways in which digital platforms can be used to target people, particularly those experiencing social, economic, or other forms of vulnerability.

Digital platforms are increasingly being used to recruit children and young people into drug trafficking and related criminal activities. Through targeted language and promises of financial rewards, status, employment, or a sense of belonging, recruiters may make criminal involvement appear attractive, harmless, or temporary while concealing the risks and exploitation involved. Social media, coded communication, and emotional manipulation can enable criminal networks to reach young people directly and extend their influence beyond traditional physical spaces. Europol (2024) has highlighted the growing recruitment of minors into drug trafficking networks, including for roles such as couriers, street-level dealers, and other operational activities.

These evolving forms of recruitment and exploitation require prevention and protection responses that reflect the changing environments in which children and young people live. As drug markets and criminal networks continue to adapt to new technologies, prevention efforts must also evolve. This includes identifying risks early, strengthening protective factors, and ensuring that children and young people have access to safe, supportive, and inclusive environments before vulnerabilities can be exploited.

Children and young people may face increased vulnerability to exploitation because of factors such as social isolation, economic hardship, limited access to support, family difficulties, discrimination, or a search for belonging and recognition. These circumstances are often interconnected and require responses that address both individual needs and the wider social environments in which children grow up. Effective prevention must therefore go beyond raising awareness of risks and invest in the protective relationships, opportunities, and support systems that help children and young people build resilience and make healthy, informed choices.

The protection of children from exploitation and involvement in drug-related activities is grounded in international human rights commitments. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises children’s right to protection from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, involvement in the illicit production and trafficking of drugs, trafficking and sale, and other forms of exploitation that may harm their wellbeing (Article 33). These protections remain highly relevant in the face of evolving recruitment and exploitation strategies, including those facilitated through digital platforms. They underline the need for responses that address underlying risk factors, strengthen protective factors, and ensure that children and young people affected by exploitation have access to appropriate protection and support..

For WFAD, addressing these challenges requires a prevention-centred and evidence-informed approach that strengthens protective factors before vulnerabilities can be exploited. This includes investing in supportive families, safe and inclusive schools, positive peer networks, strong community connections, and meaningful opportunities for children and young people to develop skills, resilience, and a sense of belonging. It also requires equipping parents, educators, community leaders, and professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to recognise emerging risks, including those occurring online, and respond at an early stage.

Governments have a responsibility to ensure that child protection, education, health, social services, justice systems, and community-based organisations work together to prevent exploitation and provide timely support. Effective policies should not only respond after harm has occurred but also address the conditions that increase vulnerability in the first place. This requires sustained investment in evidence-informed prevention, early intervention, accessible support services, and coordinated approaches that place the rights and best interests of children at the centre.

Children and young people who have been drawn into criminal activity require responses that recognise their rights, circumstances, and potential for recovery. Where exploitation, coercion, deception, or abuse of vulnerability is involved, they should be supported and protected rather than viewed only through the lens of criminality. Access to appropriate protection, psychosocial support, education, recovery, and reintegration services can help young people move away from harmful environments and build positive pathways for the future.

Civil society organisations are essential partners in strengthening protective environments and supporting children, young people, and families. Through prevention programmes, education, family support, community engagement, outreach, and recovery services, civil society organisations can help identify risks early, build resilience, and provide meaningful support to those affected. Their experience and close connections to communities are vital to developing responses that are evidence-informed, rights-based, and responsive to local realities.

On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, WFAD calls on governments, civil society, communities, digital platforms, and other stakeholders to strengthen prevention and protect children and young people from exploitation in all its forms. By addressing emerging risks, investing in protective factors, promoting safe digital environments, and ensuring access to timely and appropriate support, we can work together to create communities where every child has the opportunity to grow up safe, supported, and free from exploitation and drug-related harm.