The illegal sale of children makes up more than half of all the cases of human trafficking around the world, according to recent estimates.

　　Traditionally it has involved the exploitation of children in poorer nations, but an Al Jazeera investigation has found that it is also happening in developed countries, such as South Korea.

　　For four months, Al Jazeera surfed community boards on popular Korean internet sites, and found an underground trade where pregnant women can sell their unborn children.

　　The few cases that have surfaced have alarmed the government so much so that Al Jazeera has learned it has formed a special taskforce to bring human trafficking laws up to date.

　　One of the challenges, Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports, is how to give authorities the power to better police the murky world of the internet.

　　Lisa Laumann, from the Save the Children charity, told Al Jazeera that it is up to both the government and the community to protect children.

　　"Intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations provide the framework around which governments can come together to agree on what good practice is and how governments should behave legally on behalf of their citizens, but it's up to the governments themselves to draft that legislation, develop the systems and institutions that guarantee those rights," she said.

　　"There also has to be an effort made to help communities, families and children themselves, to understand what rights mean for them and how they can support them."

　　Source: Aljazeera.net