Benin: The Challenges
Where work – not play – is the custom for children
B
enin is a small West African country with porous borders and a tradition of high mobility among children. The formal economy remains agriculture-based with a strong reliance on the labour-intensive but crisis-ridden cotton sector. It is more difficult to measure the economic importance of cross-border trade but Benin is a nation of markets and entrepreneurs, crossing borders for bargains – such as subsidised Nigerian fuel – to resell. The country’s move in 2006–2007 to abolish primary school fees has had a positive impact on enrolment. But according to a 2008 survey backed by the International Labour Office, 34 per cent of Beninois children work, even if they also go to school. In rural areas the survey found that 42.3 per cent of children had an economic activity and in cities 18.4 per cent did. The report, Enquête Nationale sur le Travail des Enfants au Benin, says that, culturally, child labour is “not shocking” and that “work is perceived as a means of socialisation and learning responsibility”.
The International Labour Office found that 34 per cent of Beninois children were engaged in labour, even if they also went to school. In rural areas 42.3 per cent of children had an economic activity