Young Slaves
Benin, 2008

According to Unicef, nearly 200,000 children of all ages are affected by slavery practices in Benin and neighbouring countries : Nigeria, Burkina and Togo.

From the age of five, girls placed with "aunts" or "tutors" work more than ten hours a day. They are domestic servants, waitresses or sales women in markets such as Danktopa, the central market of Cotonou. Older girls also feed the prostitution networks. The boys, on the other hand, are exploited by scrap metal dealers, mechanics or sent out to work on agricultural plantations.

Entrusting a child to a wealthier family is a traditional practice in Benin to the extent that there is a word in Fon language to designate these 'foster children': vidomégons. This practice was initially based on values of solidarity and mutual aid, with children from rural areas being placed with a family of trust. The contract was planning to give access to education in exchange for participation in household tasks.

But the demand from the countryside has now reversed and the system has been misused. City dwellers need cheap labour and  matchmakers go to the villages, but also in border countries, to buy children and sell them in Cotonou, the country's economic capital. The payment is usually made in the form of a lump sum estimated  at 20,000 CFA, or about €30.