GENEVA (ILO News) - Trafficking of children in West and Central Africa is on the rise and demands a concerted effort from all sectors of society in affected countries to combat it, according to a report * released today by the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) .
The report is being released on the eve of the "Day of the African Child" - June 16 th, in which a wide range of international, national and local organizations and institutions throughout Africa focus on the special problems and needs of African children.
This "Synthesis Report", funded by the U.S. Department of Labour, is the outcome of the first phase of a project to combat trafficking in children for labour exploitation in nine countries of West and Central Africa.
The report is based on the results of operational reviews drawn largely from interviews with children and parents, conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo.
Although some cases of trafficking of children within West Africa for commercial sexual exploitation have been reported, these have been far outweighed by the numbers reportedly trafficked across borders for other forms of work, of which recruitment for domestic work appears to be the most important. Other types of labour exploitation include work in plantations, small trade, begging and soliciting.
Several reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon, in particular the decline throughout the region in the extended family system and the traditional forms of solidarity linked to it. Traffickers usually promise good money and job proposals in order to persuade parents to send their children away. However, after the children arrive at their destination, neither the child nor their parents are paid for the work they do - or at least not as much as they have been promised. Trafficked children who have been interviewed often tell harrowing stories of their journey from their home to their place of employment and many complain of bad working conditions and being deprived of food once they arrive.
Trafficked children can work from 10 to 20 hours a day, carry heavy loads, operate dangerous tools and lack adequate food or drink. Nigeria reports that one out of five trafficked children die of illness or mishaps. Others succumb to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Traumatized by abominable working conditions, ill-treatment and disease, children lose their human dignity and develop a feeling of being outcasts. This can lead to crime, drug consumption or long term mental disorders, the report found.
The existence of trafficking in children for labour exploitation is now recognized in the countries participating in the ILO-IPEC project to combat trafficking in children: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo.
The importance of bilateral collaboration in the repatriation of victims and extradition of traffickers is also recognized. A start already has been made through agreements between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali; Benin and Gabon; Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Countries like Benin, Mali and Togo have launched specific programmes to combat child trafficking. Several non-governmental organizations are active in awareness-raising through public debate and training materials for teachers and the reintegration of victims of trafficking.
The report makes recommendations for a sub-regional plan of action that includes measures for research, awareness-raising, training, strengthening of the legal and institutional framework, direct assistance to victims and bilateral collaboration for repatriation and extradition of traffickers.
As a follow-up of this report, ILO-IPEC, with financial support from the U.S. Government, will reinforce its technical assistance to combat trafficking in children in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo. A new US$4.5 million project to prevent child trafficking and rehabilitate the victims will be launched in each of these countries.
For more information, please contact the following IPEC experts:
Enquiries in English: Ms. Pin Boonpala: + 4122/799-8176;
Enquiries in French: Ms. Laetitia Dumas: + 4122/799-7353;
Or e-mail:
childlabour@ilo.org
* Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in West and Central Africa, Synthesis Report, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. International Labour Office, Geneva, 2001. ISBN: 92-2-112356-1.