© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2013 | doi 10.1163/18781527-00401006 Guaranteeing the Broadest Protection to Minors in the Aftermath of Disasters: Re-Framing the International Discussion in Terms of Child Abduction, Sale, and Trafficking Silvia Scarpa Adjunct Professor of Political Science, John Cabot University of Rome (Italy); sscarpa@johncabot.edu; silvia.scarpa@gmail.com Abstract The Article aims at demonstrating that a more effective and comprehensive protection of minors in the aftermath of disasters can be guaranteed by, first of all, re-framing the discussion of the relevant actors in this field on the various practices and processes, including sexual and labour exploitation, early and forced marriages, the involvement of children in armed conflicts, and illegal adoptions, that can be grouped under the heading of three umbrella terms, namely, the abduction, sale, and trafficking of chil- dren. These terms are, in part, already used by relevant actors in the field of disaster relief work; however, their interpretation and boundaries are not always properly clari- fied. Therefore, the Article discusses the definitions of these three terms and recom- mends that all the relevant actors follow such framework and conform to the definitions provided, so as to guarantee a greater consistency and clarity in the debate over child protection in the aftermath of disasters. Keywords Disaster – child abduction – sale of children – child trafficking – child soldiers – illegal adoptions journal of international humanitarian legal studies 4 (2013) 131-146 brill.com/ihls 0002078563.INDD 131 11/23/2013 8:08:46 PM