Suffer the Little Children

The world's leaders gather for an extraordinary summit and listen at last to a crying need

Just how much is a child worth? To a father in northern Thailand, 10-year- old Poo was worth $400 when he sold her to a middleman to work in Madame Suzy's Bangkok brothel. To Madame Suzy, Poo is worth $40 a night while she's still young and fresh. But her price will soon come down.

To a quarry owner outside New Delhi, 12-year-old Ballu is worth 85 cents a day, the amount the child earns breaking rocks in an 11-hour shift. "I wanted to become an engineer," says Ballu. He glances sadly at his callused hands. "But now I have crossed...

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