Thousands of children as young as six years old are trafficked across borders into slavery in West Africa to work as domestic servants, on farms and in markets in the region's wealthier countries. Most work long hours in harsh conditions and receive little or no pay.

The main trafficking routes are from Benin, Togo and Mali to Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Cameroon. Transported long distances over land and by sea, the children - boys and girls - face arduous journeys that can be fatal; some have been transported in boats which lack sufficient supplies of food and fresh water.

West African governments in the region are aware of the problem and of the need for action to end it, but many destination countries are still not taking the steps necessary to end the exploitation of children in slavery and other abusive labour.

There have, however, been positive steps as can be seen from the 6 September 2000 agreement between Mali and Côte d'Ivoire to stop child trafficking between the two countries. In February of last year, the Mali Government invited Anti-Slavery to help formulate a programme for rehabilitating children who had been trafficked to Côte d'Ivoire (see Mali trafficking -- rehabilitation). And last year, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization organised a meeting in Libreville, Gabon attended by government officials from the region and members of international organisations.

It is crucial that governments work together to end this form of slavery. Key legislation protecting children, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, need to be ratified and implemented in order to ensure that children are protected from slavery. And children who have been enslaved need to be rehabilitated and given the opportunity to go to school or vocation training to ensure they do not have to return to slavery again.

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