Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Benin (Ratification: 2001)

Articles 3(a) and 7(1) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour and penalties. Vidomégon children. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to intensify its efforts to protect children under 18 years of age, particularly vidomégon children, from all forms of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation. In this regard, it asked the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure the thorough investigation and robust prosecution of the perpetrators of these acts and to ensure that penalties are imposed on them.

Noting the absence of information from the Government on this matter, the Committee highlights the concerns expressed on 4 November 2022 during the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, in particular that the exploitation of children in situations of forced or hazardous labour occurs especially in domestic service and agriculture, and the harmful practice involving vidomégon children persists (A/HRC/WG.6/42/BEN/2, para. 26). The Committee urges the Government to intensify its efforts, in collaboration with the representative organizations of employers and workers, to protect children under 18 years of age, in particular vidomégon children, from all forms of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation. The Committee also requests the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure the thorough investigation and robust prosecution of persons who subject children under 18 years of age to forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation and to ensure that penalties constituting an adequate deterrent are imposed on the perpetrators of this practice. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information on the results achieved.

Sale and trafficking of children. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to intensify its efforts to improve the identification of cases of the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age, to conduct thorough investigations and to prosecute persons who engage in the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age.

The Committee notes the Government’s indications, in its report, that perpetrators of child abuse or sexual or economic exploitation are identified or reported either directly to the Central Office for the Protection of Minors, the Family and the Suppression of Human Trafficking, or via the free child assistance telephone helpline.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that in 2023 a total of 34 judicial prosecutions were instituted against perpetrators of child abuse across the country. However, it points out the lack of details regarding the types of abuse concerned and the nature of the penalties imposed.

Moreover, the Committee highlights the concerns expressed on 4 November 2022 by the UPR Working Group regarding the prevalence of cases of trafficking in children from and into neighbouring countries, particularly for domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation in the case of girls, and for forced labour in mines, quarries, markets and farms in the case of boys, especially in diamond-mining districts (A/HRC/WG.6/42/BEN/2, para. 26).

Furthermore, the Committee highlights the concerns expressed by the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, in its concluding observations of 13 January 2025, in particular regarding the fact that: (1) Benin is a country of origin, destination and transit for trafficking in persons; (2) Benin is a source country for the exploitation of girls in the West African region; and (3) information is limited regarding the number of investigations undertaken, prosecutions conducted and convictions handed down in relation to trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation (CMW/C/BEN/CO/1, para. 53). The Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to improve identification of cases of the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age and to ensure the effective implementation and application of its legislation, in particular by conducting thorough investigations and prosecuting individuals engaged in the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the results achieved, in particular the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penalties imposed in cases of trafficking of children under 18 years of age.

Articles 5, 6 and 7(2)(a) and (b). Monitoring mechanisms, programmes of action and effective and time-bound measures. Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour and providing assistance for their removal from these forms of labour. Children working in mines and quarries. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that capacity-building workshops for child protection actors, in particular juvenile court judges, judicial police officers and labour inspectors, were organized in 2023 and 2024.

The Committee takes note of the information on capacity-building for the labour inspectorate in the “Plan of action to combat child labour in mines and quarries 2023”, including: (1) increasing the number of labour inspectors at central and local level, as well as in the departments responsible for mines and quarries; (2) stepping up joint inspection visits with mining service inspectors in artisanal mines and quarries, mainly illegal mining sites; and (3) capacity-building for labour inspectors and control officers of the ministry responsible for mining with respect to child labour.

However, the Committee takes note of the “Study on child labour in mines and quarries in Benin”, carried out by the Ministry of Labour and the Public Service in 2023, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as its attached plan of action. The study was based on a sample of 510 child workers. According to the data collected during this survey, the total number of children working in mines in the municipalities covered by the UNICEF protection programme was estimated at 141,086, between the ages of 5 and 17 years. In this regard, it reports that 28.10 per cent of the children are between 5 and 9 years of age, 42.81 per cent are aged between 10 and 14 years, and 29.07 per cent are between 15 and 17 years of age. On the basis of this sample, the study highlights the fact that children between 5 and 9 years of age spend an average of five and a half hours in the quarries, those aged 10 to 14 spend around six hours there, and children between 15 and 17 years of age spend an average of more than seven hours in the quarries. Regardless of the age group, girls spend less time in the quarries than boys. While duly noting the efforts made by the Government, the Committee urges the Government to take, without delay, the necessary steps to protect children from hazardous work in mines and quarries, including through the “Plan of action to combat child labour in mines and quarries 2023”, and to provide information on the results achieved in this regard. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the number of children who have been protected or removed from hazardous work in mining and quarrying, and to indicate the rehabilitation and social integration measures from which they have benefited. Furthermore, the Committee requests the Government to continue taking specific measures to strengthen the capacity of the labour inspection services to identify the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken and the results achieved by labour inspections conducted in mines and quarries, including the number of violations detected and the penalties imposed in relation to child labour.

Application of the Convention in practice. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that a study on the worst forms of child labour and vidomégon children is conducted.

The Committee notes the Government’s indications that the “Multidisciplinary plan of action for the protection of children under 18 years of age from child labour (Government, employers and workers)” will be drawn up further to the ratification – currently in progress – of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). The Committee once again requests the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the study on the worst forms of child labour and vidomégon children is conducted and completed as soon as possible. It also once again requests the Government to provide information on progress made in this respect, as well as on the preparation and adoption of the multidisciplinary plan of action for the protection of children under 18 years of age from the worst forms of child labour.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.