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Although slavery is illegal everywhere, it continues to exist in some parts of the world. Its
existence is rarely acknowledged by citizens of advanced industrialised countries, despite
the fact that is a part of the global economy.
The term 'slavery' is rarely used anymore. Instead, slavery is usually referred to as 'bonded
labour' or 'human trafficking.'
The slavery that exists today is wholly different from the form which existed two centuries
ago.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the new slavery. In 2002, the International
Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) estimated that of the 246 million child
labourers in the world, 8.4 million are bonded or forced labourers.

The Life of a Child Slave

How are children enslaved in West Africa? Traffickers usually approach impoverished
families and offer them as little as U.S. $15 to hand their son or daughter over to an
employer. Many of the families who agree to sell their children hope that their child's
employment will lead them to a better life filled with more opportunities.

After the children are purchased from their parents, they are secretly transported to nearby
countries. The journey is often treacherous and many children perish in transit.

The trafficker then places the children in 'employment' with a host family, but he or she
receives the children's wages. The children receive no money for their labour. Trafficked
children work in both commercial and domestic sectors. Many toil on coffee and cocoa
plantations. They are also sold as prostitutes.

The children are bonded to the traffickers or to the person to whom they are sold. It is
nearly impossible for them to work off the debt they owe to the trafficker and the childrens'
families rarely have the means to raise enough money to buy them back.

Child slaves work between 10 and 20 hours per day, often seven days a week. They are
given little to no time for rest, play or education. Often, the children are not given adequate
food, clothing or healthcare. Furthermore, the enslaved children run a high risk of being
physically or sexually abused.

Some child slaves successfully escape from slaveholders, but the majority are unable to
return to their families.

Growing Awareness

The problem of child-trafficking in western Africa has become more visible in the Western
media due to several high-profile incidents involving the discovery of boats or buses
transporting enslaved children.

In April 2001, a boat was impounded off the coast of West Africa following allegations of
child-trafficking. The story made headline news in much of the West. It was later revealed
that at least a dozen of the forty-three children and young adults removed from the boat
were slaves who were being trafficked from Benin to Gabon.

Although human trafficking and slavery are officially illegal in Benin, human rights workers
report that they are still widespread.