Actualité

For the well-being of children, they deserve an absolute protection. According to UNICEF, child protection refers to preventing and combating violence, exploitation and abuse of children, including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking and labor. The traditional harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, excision and children marriage.

This situation in Benin was a subject of a study. According to the report of this study, the Republic of Benin has recorded significant results in the field of children protection. The progress achieved is mainly the result of the efforts of Benin State Government and its partners, including the civil society. The legal environment for children protection is generally improved. The Code of Criminal Procedure has been revised to better reflect the problems of children. In the area of birth registration, progress has also been noticed. The phenomenon of female genital mutilation is also reported to be declining at the national level. Besides, important actions were also taken in the fight against children marriage before the age of 15 for girls at the national level through the Zero Tolerance to Children Marriage Campaign (CTZ).

Despite all these efforts, the overall situation of children in need of protection stills a concern. The violence occurrence, child labor and child abuse are reported to be steadily increasing. According to the latest UNICEF report, 1,036 prostitution sites were registered in Cotonou against 40 sites in Malanville involving children aged 12 to 17 years old. According to the same source, 91% of children reported having experienced some form of violence. To this end, many challenges remain. Thus, social and humanitarian organizations must carry out actions like the popularization of the laws protecting the children as well as the international instruments ratified by Benin within this framework, parents’ sensitization for the withdrawal of the birth certificates, the children ‘reintegration with the involvement of the associations of craftsmen of the area, the creation of income-generating activities to strengthen the resilience of households and their children, an advocacy for the implementation of various governmental projects that aim towards the improvement people’s living conditions. Such actions are synonymous with guaranteeing a better future for children, mostly for those from disadvantaged strata.

Translation: Akouélé Rolande G. 

Publication Director: Wilfried AGOUNDJEKPO