BENIN: GOB RELEASES CHILD LABOR SURVEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000587 SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL/IL: TDANG, AF/W ASTEWART, AF/RSA, AND G/TIP: VZEITLIN AND ALEMAR-MEREDITH DOL FOR ILAB/MCCARTER ACCRA FOR USAID/WA PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SMIG ASEC PREL ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN KTIP BN SUBJECT: BENIN: GOB RELEASES CHILD LABOR SURVEY COTONOU 00000587 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. On November 24, the Minister in Charge of Institutional Relations Zakari Baba Bodi, the Director of the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Analysis Cosme Vodounou, and International Labor Organization representatives officially released a National Survey on Child Labor during a public ceremony in Cotonou. Post attended the event and received a copy of the survey. This cable provides details on the survey. -------------- 34 PERCENT OF CHILDREN ARE ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE -------------- - ¶2. The report states that 664,537 children between the ages of 5 and 17 (34 percent) are involved in some form of economic activity. There are significant disparities depending on the child's province of origin and residence. The number of children involved in economic activities is higher in the departments of Donga (76.1 percent) and Borgou (68.4 percent) in the north of Benin and in the department of Collines (70.2 percent) in central Benin. The number of children who engage in economic activities is lower in the southern departments of Littoral (9.8 percent) and Atlantique (10.2). Child labor is predominant in rural areas with 42 percent of the children between 5 and 17 working. In urban areas, 18 percent of children in this age range are economically active. In rural areas, working children are more likely to continue schooling than those in urban areas. -------------- 88.7 PERCENT OF CHILDREN PERFORM HOUSEWORK -------------- ¶3. The report also surveyed non-economic activities and found that 88.7 percent of children are involved in some form of household labor in their residences. This rate increases as the children grow older, from 67.8 percent of 5 year olds, to 97.8 percent of children aged 17. Girls are more likely to participate in household chores than boys. -------------- 31 PERCENT OF CHILDREN INVOLVED IN LABOR LIKELY TO BE ABOLISHED OR RESTRICTED -------------- ¶4. In 2008, 31 percent of children (598,521 children) were involved in forms of labor likely to be outlawed (child commercial sexual exploitation and others). Twenty four percent of these children 
engaged in hazardous activities. Full time employment (42 hours per week) was reported for 12.5 percent of children involved in economic activities. Sixty two percent of children engaged in exploitative and hazardous forms of labor, live in male-run households. -------------- THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF CHILD LABOR -------------- ¶5. According to the survey, poorer families have higher child labor participation; poorly educated parents are more likely to have children that work; the child labor rate is higher in rural areas. It is estimated that parents or guardians put to work 70 percent of child laborers. Only 7 percent of the surveyed working children said they were responsible for their own condition. -------------- CHILD TRAFFICKING AT STAKE -------------- ¶6. A portion of the survey focuses on child trafficking. Currently, 67,437 children aged 5-17 are trafficked in Benin. Six out of ten trafficked children are girls due to the fact that girls are more frequently employed in housework and street hawking. The majority of the victims of trafficking are found in rural areas. -------------- AN OFFICIAL LIST OF HAZARDOUS FORMS OF CHILD LABOR TO END THE PRACTICE -------------- ¶7. The drafters of the survey recommend that relevant authorities compile a list of hazardous forms of child labor because lack of such a list prevents the government from determining the exact number of children who engage in such forms of labor and taking COTONOU 00000587 002.2 OF 002 adequate actions to eliminate child labor. They also recommend that periodical surveys be conducted to keep better track of child labor trends. The survey proposes that quantitative data collected as part of the National Survey be supplemented with qualitative data, especially information on child trafficking mechanisms. ¶8. The survey compiled data from February and March 2008 from all twelve departments of Benin, covering 5,988 households in rural and urban areas. The National Institute for Statistics and Economic Analysis conducted the survey and drafted the report with the financial support of ILO/IPEC and DOL. ¶9. COMMENT: The National Survey on Child Labor provides detailed, comprehensive and useful information on child labor in Benin. The survey fills a very important gap by providing significant labor-related statistics likely to help gauge the magnitude of child labor in Benin. The survey is a tool to help the government complete its National Policy for the Elimination of Child Labor. END COMMENT KNIGHT