The term child trafficking is most often used when referring to Trafficking in Human Beings with and exploitation of minors.

Victims of child trafficking/trafficking in and exploitation of children are considered to be under the law. Palermo Protocol (Article 3(c)) any person under eighteen years of age who is recruited, trafficked, handed over, harbored, or received for the purpose of exploitation, whether within or outside a country. While the German Criminal Code (StGB) does contain a provision on child trafficking in Section 236, this section covers adoption trafficking.

The term “child trafficking”, used in an international context, is more commonly referred to in German as the trade in and exploitation of children and young people, explicitly meaning exploitation by Trafficking in Human Beings and not the adoption trafficking provisions of the Criminal Code. The trafficking in and exploitation of children and young people is covered by Sections 232 et seq. Trafficking in Human Beings and exploitation. Unlike adult victims, in cases involving persons under 21, the use of coercive measures is not necessary to prosecute the offenses. Trafficking in Human Beings and to fulfill exploitation.