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Children as young as seven are being trafficked between Benin and
Gabon for cheap labour. Ninety per cent are girls, and some die
before they reach their destination.
In the first study to examine both ends of the trafficking process,
the London-based human rights organisation Anti-Slavery International
and Enfants Solidaires d'Afrique et du Monde in Benin, interviewed
the families of those trafficked, the children, traffickers and
the recipients.
The UK National Lottery-funded report is being presented at the
UNICEF- International Labour Organisation conference "Developing
Strategies to Fight Trafficking of Children for Work and Exploitation
in West and Central Africa" meeting in Libreville, Gabon, from 22-24
February. The meeting will include government ministers and representatives
of local and international organisations.
Children are forced to endure hazardous journeys over long distances.
Some die before reaching their destination, particularly when travelling
by sea.
Subjected to harsh living and working conditions the children tell
of their being deprived of food and subjected to violence. Some
of those who escape their "employers" fall prey to sexual exploitation
and many never return home.
The families, many of whom are polygamous, give their children
to traffickers because they cannot afford to support them and are
falsely told that the children will learn a useful skill.
Anti-Slavery Director Mike Dottridge said "trafficking is a
global problem fuelled by poverty. Governments must review existing
legislation to ensure traffickers and their intermediaries are prosecuted
for this crime and that the victims are protected and properly rehabilitated."
Local communities must be made aware of the dangers children face
and the consequences of trafficking. By developing accessible education
and improving the local economy, families will be provided with
an alternative to trafficking.
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