Child Prostitution and its Links with Child Trafficking and Mobility in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger: A Comparative Summary of 3 Study Reports
Charles Hounmenou | September 11 | 2:45 - 3:45 PM | Room 2592
The presentation is based on three analogous studies on child prostitution in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. A mixed research method--quantitative and qualitative--was used to collect data from child participants and organization representatives. A convenience sample of individuals involved in prostitution, 261 girls in Benin, 243 girls in Burkina Faso, and 205 children including 192 girls and 13 boys in Niger, participated in the research. These studies established the profile and characteristics of children in prostitution, in West Africa. Recommendations were made to improve the mechanisms of prevention, protection and rehabilitation of children in prostitution. This international research, the first to be conducted on child prostitution in the West African region, provides substantial information on the phenomenon in major cities as well as small ones in the context of the region and documents several important aspects of the living conditions of the target population. Implications for policies, practice and research are discussed. Although not generalizable, the research findings challenge some global concepts on child prostitution. ECPAT France and ECPAT Luxembourg, members of ECPAT International, commissioned the three studies as part of their program PACTES to fight commercial sexual exploitation of children in the West African region.
Objectives:
1) Learn how cultural, social and economic environments shape child prostitution practices in West Africa
2) Gain an understanding of the connection between child prostitution and migration in the region
3) Explore challenges for assistance to children in prostitution in the region.