Benin is a country of origin, transit and destination of child trafficking. It is estimated that more than 40,000 victims of child trafficking live in this country—two percent of the 6- to 17-year-old population—most of whom are girls from uneducated families.

But trafficking is really a reflection of the country’s underlying structural problems—such as low levels of household income, a lack of socioeconomic development, poverty and school abandonment—which are further compounded by traditional and cultural factors.