Child trafficking

This article addresses two of the issues that affect the lack of identification of child victims of trafficking: age assessment and the protocols used to identify victims of trafficking in general and, in particular, for children. The second issue addressed in this article refers to the role that child protection system plays in its identification and protection. Finally, reference will be made to the difficulties in identifying international protection needs in child victims of trafficking. All these issues are analysed from the perspective of the exercise of the right to be heard of the foreign child in any procedure that affects him and the existing mechanisms for determining his best interests. For this reason, the Spanish system will be analysed in the last section of the article in the light of these two principles.