VZCZCXRO6374
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0163/01 1121414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221414Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0889
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0341
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1434
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0436

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000163 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/IL: TU DANG, AF/W, AF/RSA, AND G/TIP: VZEITLIN AND 
ALEMAR-MEREDITH 
DOL FOR ILAB/MCCARTER 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
PARIS FOR KANEDA AND LONDON FOR LORD 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SMIG ASEC PREF ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN KTIP BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: TRANSLATION OF GOB REPORT ON ITS EFFORTS TO COMBAT 
WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
 
COTONOU 00000163  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. On April 16, the Embassy received a diplomatic note from the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Francophonie and 
the Beninese Diapora with a brief report on the GOB's efforts to 
eliminate the worst forms of child labor in Benin and requesting 
Post to forward the report to the Office of Child Labor, Forced 
Labor, and Human Trafficking. 
 
¶2. Begin unofficial translation of diplomatic note. 
 
Diplomatic Note N:232/MAEIAFB/SGM/DAJDH/SDH 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Francophonie 
and the Beninese Diaspora presents its compliments to the Embassy of 
the United States in Cotonou, and at the request of the Embassy of 
Benin in Washington, has the honor to forward to it details on the 
Government of Benin's efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child 
labor in Benin for transmission to the Office of Child Labor, Forced 
Labor, and Human Trafficking. Further details will be sent to the 
Embassy as soon as possible. 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Francophonie 
and the Beninese Diaspora avails itself of this opportunity to renew 
to the Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of its 
highest consideration. 
 
End unofficial translation of diplomatic note. 
 
¶3. Begin unofficial translation of diplomatic note attachment. 
 
Information related to the GOB's efforts to eliminate the worst 
forms of Child Labor in Benin. 
 
 
Introduction 
 
Child protection being a cross-disciplinary area, the Government of 
Benin resolutely commits itself to fighting the scourge of child 
labor in general and the worst forms of child labor in particular 
through its sector-based ministries that work in this particular 
area. Technical agencies such as the Ministry of Family and National 
Solidarity's Office for Childhood and Adolescence, the Ministry of 
Interior and Public Security's Minors Protection Brigade, the 
Ministry of Labor and Civil Service's Labor Office and the Ministry 
of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights' Office for Human Rights 
endeavor to protect children and to combat efficiently child 
trafficking in conjunction with Civil Society organizations and 
Development Partners including UNICEF, ILO, DANIDA, USAID, EU, etc. 
 
Government of Benin's efforts 
 
As the lead agency for child protection in Benin, the Ministry of 
Family and National Solidarity (MFSN) has a unit called the National 
Monitoring and Coordination Working Group for Child Protection 
(CNSCPE) which was established by ministerial decree in 2006. The 
CNSCPE is chaired by the Ministry of Family and National Solidarity 
and comprises the following five (5) technical committees: 
Trafficking and Exploitation Committee; Juvenile Justice Committee; 
Committee on Violence Against Children; Orphans and Vulnerable 
Children Committee and Early Childhood Committee. Each committee has 
an action and work plan and works efficiently towards proposing 
activities to the CNSCPE. It is noteworthy that the CNSCPE gathers 
about forty (40) members from all sectors pertaining to children 
including sector-based ministries, NGOs networks, International 
Technical and Financial partners and bilateral partners. To date, 
the CNSCPE has achieved the following: 
 
1- Setting up of 1529 Child Protection Local Committees (CLPE) in 33 
communes. These committees aim to educate grassroots communities, to 
detect traffickers' networks and to help reintegrate victims of the 
trafficking; 
 
2-Periodical organization of synchronized awareness campaigns on 
child trafficking across Benin-Nigeria border, in the communes of 
Seme Kpodji, Ifangni and Djreregbe on the Beninese side and in the 
villages of Krake, Owode and Idiroko on the Nigerian side; 
 
3- Drafting, adoption and promulgation of Act 2006-04 of April 10 
2006 related to the Transportation of Minors and the Repression of 
Child trafficking in the Republic of Benin. This Act defines child 
trafficking and labor and bans their practice. It also sets rules 
for transporting children (both internally and externally), and 
 
COTONOU 00000163  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
penalties for child traffickers (ten to twenty years imprisonment); 
 
4- Drafting of the Child Code's first volume. The first volume of 
the code is a collection of legislation related to children their 
rights, family education, protection, labor and health. The second 
volume containing a bill on child protection and an amended version 
of Act 69 on offences committed by minors is pending adoption at the 
National Assembly; 
 
5-Drafting and validation of the Policy document and National 
Strategies for Child Protection in Benin, along with a five-year 
Action plan (2009-2013); 
 
6- Drafting and validation of the ILO/IPEC National Action Plan to 
combat child trafficking and labor exploitation. This Action Plan 
seeks to eradicate child trafficking and labor; 
 
7- Design of a national survey on child trafficking. The survey 
provides child trafficking routes in Benin and a map in order to 
take concrete action to address the scourge and its structural 
causes; 
 
8- Implementation of the second anti-child trafficking projec 
(2007-2011) that aims mainly to improve childre's living conditions 
and respect for children's ights in Benin; 
 
9- Signature of a Multilateral ooperation Agreement between Benin 
and 10 countris in the region to fight child trafficking in West 
Africa. As part of the Agreement follow-up, agenies responsible for 
protecting children in thesecountries network to exchange 
information on thefight against child trafficking and victims' 
protction. 
 
      10- Creation of a data base (ChildPro) at central and 
provincial levels with brances at the Communes' Social Promotion 
Centers to ecord data related to fourteen (14) areas pertainig to 
unhappy childhood. 
 
 
Conclusion 
 
Child tafficking, which is considered one of the worst foms of 
child labor, appears to be a trap for chilren who are trafficked to 
foreign countries (cros-border trafficking) or to other regions 
withina country (national trafficking). The situation in hich 
trafficked children live is a new form of savery that cannot be 
acceptable for mankind. Theministry responsible for child-related 
issues eficiently coordinates activities together with all he 
concerned actors to fight the worst forms of cild labor. 
 
/Signed/ 
 
The Director of the Chil and Adolescence Office 
Houngbedji Adjai 
 
End f unofficial translation of diplomatic note attachent. 
 
 
BROWN