Dhaka: Current systems designed to protect migrant children are failing, leaving many at risk of trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation, two United Nations human rights experts have warned.

"The mechanisms designed to protect children caught up in conflict or humanitarian crises are largely ineffective and do little to prevent the precarious situation these children find themselves in," said Special Rapporteurs Maria Grazia Giammarinaro and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio.

They made the remark while speaking ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons that falls on July 30.

"So many children have died in conflict zones and along their perilous journey," they were quoted as saying in a joint statement UNB received from Geneva.

The experts warned that all children fleeing conflict, especially those traveling alone, are vulnerable to abuse of different kinds: sexual and labour exploitation including as a consequence of trafficking, being sold and being coerced into marriage, in their homes, communities, society or in places where migrants and/or refugees reside - including reception centres, refugee camps or informal settlements at source, transit and destination countries.

"We call on all States to step up their efforts to protect children on the move from trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation," they urged.

"Children are disproportionately affected by conflicts and disasters, and those who have been separated from their families are particularly vulnerable."

Boys as well as girls risk sexual exploitation, although the risks remain higher for girls, the experts noted.

"Current efforts to protect children are being hampered, among others by inaccurate identification of trafficked, sold or otherwise exploited children by insufficiently trained frontline workers and challenges in determining children's ages and parentage," they said.

"There is also limited capacity in camps to host children in specialized and separated facilities and lack of coordination between different actors working with them," the experts said, based on the preliminary result of research they will present to the UN General Assembly in October 2017.

The two experts noted that, in spite of some promising practices, the systems now in use do not systematically consider the specific needs and the best interests of children, especially of separated or unaccompanied children who at times share their living spaces with adults in areas or camps that lack basic amenities.

"When children with little or no money live in limbo for long periods, they seek ways to earn money, either to survive where they are, or to enable them to continue their journeys."

"Seeking such work puts them at greater risk of trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation."

The experts criticized States which continue to lock up migrant children, privileging rigid immigration policies above child protection policies. "The detention of children in irregular immigration situation can never be in their best interests as it constitutes a violation of their rights and is particularly detrimental to their wellbeing," they said.

"Cooperation between host countries, international organizations and civil society organizations must also be strengthened to ensure the identification and protection of child victims and those at risk of exploitation," said the Special Rapporteurs.