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Tens of thousands of children as young as five are trafficked each
year in West and Central Africa. A year ago a ship carrying children
into slavery drew international attention to this abuse.
Some 40 children were found on board the Nigerian-registered Etireno
after it had been at sea for more than two weeks. On 17 April 2001,
the boat docked in Benin; 23 children were between three and 14
years old; 17 were aged 15 to 24. They were being taken from Benin,
Mali and Togo to work in Gabon.
In Africa, when children are trafficked they are transported long
distances over land as well as by sea. Sometimes there is not enough
food or water to last the journey, which can last for days. In some
cases children die en route.
At their destination, they are forced to work long hours, with
many working as servants, on market stalls, in farming while some
girls are forced into prostitution. Many are regularly beaten and
they are not allowed to make friends or go to school.
"Countries need to harmonise their trafficking laws",
Mike Dottridge Director of Anti-Slavery says. "They need
to adopt common definitions of what constitutes trafficking and
work illegal for children. Penalties need to be sufficiently severe
to act as a deterrent. Some progress was made in December and March
at regional conferences where governments promised action, but no
moves have resulted."
A year on, most of the children who were rescued from the Etireno
are in school, apprenticeships or starting legitimate work after
being helped by social workers in Togo and the organisations Terre
des Hommes and SOS Children's Village in Benin.
The captain, co-captain and man who chartered the boat remain in
jail in Benin charged with illegally transporting foreign children.
In most cases, regardless of the country, the penalty for trafficking
children is low and does not act as a deterrent.
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