Child slavery and corruption in West Africa: an Ivorian case study

Child slavery, composed of child trafficking and the worst forms of child labour, is pervasive in West Africa today. Cote d'Ivoire, a West African country engaged in agricultural production, is a major destination for children to be trafficked and subsequently exploited for their labour. This project investigates how corruption, the abuse of public office for private benefit, enables child slavery to occur. In October 2007, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Analysis indicates that corruption enables child trafficking, compromises victim protection, and allows for an environment of impunity to reign. Poverty emerges as a pertinent contributing factor to both child slavery and corruption, and dissent emerges regarding the actors responsible for exploiting children. It becomes apparent that corruption is not always needed to facilitate child slavery. This project highlights the need for holistic programming in fighting against child slavery, and recommends further investigation of certain aspects of corruption and child slavery in the West African region. --P.ii.