Although 25 March marks the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act by the United Kingdom, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says slavery still exists today as children are trafficked into bonded labour and the sex trade.

According to UNICEF, an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked every year to be used as domestic servants, factory workers, camel jockeys, child soldiers and sex slaves around the world.

Human trafficking generates an estimated $9.5 billion a year, attracting organized criminal gangs and leading to corruption on a global scale.

"The breakdown of the protective environment leaves children vulnerable to traffickers who exploit the desperation of families. The social factors which lead to this desperation need to be addressed in order to put a stop to this crime. It is also critical to tackle the demand side of human trafficking. Laws must be enforced against those who exploit children" the UN organization said.

In 2005, UNICEF and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to return children involved in camel racing, many of them victims of trafficking, back to their countries.

More than a thousand child camel jockeys -mostly from Bangladesh, Mauritania, Pakistan and Sudan- returned home and were reunited with their families.(EÜ)