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The Little Hands of the Stone Quarries

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Terre des Hommes Foundation. Lausanne, Switzerland. July 2006.

Between September 2003 and March 2004, 261 Beninese children, victims of trafficking and exploitation in the quarries of Abeokuta, Nigeria, were rescued after an emergency operation which became known as "the crisis of the Abeokuta quarries."  In the same period many other children, in their hundreds, returned to Benin by their own means or with the assistance of their parents. Once repatriated to Benin the 261 children from Abeokuta were cared for by a coordinated effort of NGO's specialized in child protection, international organizations and the Beninese Ministry of the Family, Social Protection and Solidarity (MFPSS). Thanks to the help of all these structures, the majority of the children were reunited with their families by December 2003. What is interesting is that the majority of the children came from one area, the Department of Zou (256 out of 261 children) and to be more precise from just one Commune, the Commune of Zakpota (201 children). Today, 200 of these children continue to benefit from social worker support and follow-up as well as assistance to stay in school or apprenticeship. Two years after this mass return of children from the quarries, the Terre des hommes Foundation has published a report "The little hands of the stone quarries." This in-depth study relives the "crisis" of Abeokuta: its origins, the process of events and the actions taken at both local and international level. The report describes with precision the system of exploitation within which the children have been trapped and also provides information on the actions taken for the repatriated children during the last two years, including the provision of immediate assistance and the search for solutions to reduce this phenomenon. These actions taken have undergone a rigorous process of evaluation and analysis to make sure that valuable lessons can be turned into useful recommendations and special messages for the key actors concerned. To provide validity to the findings, the report is supported by the results of a study undertaken in 2004, in Benin and Nigeria, by Tdh staff and external experts. The analysis is also based on a series of reflections involving members of the communities affected by trafficking and experimental activities undertaken by Tdh in 2005. Non directive interviews, direct observation and the systematic collection of information revealed that a "war" between traffickers was at the heart of the breaking of the scandal in the stone quarries. This explains why the public powers and the NGOs reacted with an emergency type response and explains why the extraction of the children, and their transport from Nigeria to Benin, were not undertaken in the best conditions (respecting their rights and the superior interest of the child). And what is worse: two year after these events, the trafficking and the exploitation of children from Zou to the stone quarries, even if condemned internationally, have continued. Children, aged between 8 and 15 years old, regularly continue to take off for "an adventure," destination Nigeria, despite the measures of surveillance put in place. In Nigeria, in the states of Osun, Ogun and Oyo, the presence of hundreds of Beninese working children has been observed in the stone quarries and plantations in 2004, 2005 and 2006. This situation signifies that the mobilization of governmental and non-governmental actors, initiated by the crisis, has not lead to any definitive reduction in the phenomenon. Therefore, there is certainly a need to review the basic theories, objectives, modalities and practices as well as the strategic and methodological aspects on which our programmes are based. Two years after the "crisis" of Abeokuta, hundreds of Beninese children continue to suffer in deplorable conditions of exploitation in Nigeria. The alert needs to be given new and sustained life to assure that this eternal cycle of servitude is halted. The need for coordinated action is still present, with the condition of being able to organize simultaneously, on both sides of the border, a well planned and sustainable programme with strategies adapted to this complex situation. The challenges which we face include the need to find successful interventions for the prevention of trafficking and exploitation; a higher quality detection system for the victims; appropriate assistance for their reintegration; and improved follow-up with social and educational support for the children and their families (development of apprentice workshops and informal education opportunities which respond to the individual needs of the child and their communities). Best practices were identified during the study and it is already possible to put these into action. However, much remains to be done and there is a need to rapidly engage a dynamic of collective reflection and coordination, not only in Zou, but also in the areas affected by Nigeria to insure that these preoccupations rest at the heart of the debate and that a true dialogue and effective collaboration can be maintained between the different authorities, non-governmental partners and the populations from which the children belong. To get to grips with a phenomenon of this magnitude, and one which is so deeply rooted in local mentalities and socio-economic relations, it is essential to have a sound understanding of this multi-dimensional problem and to search together for an intervention model that is up to facing these realities. This is the message that the Terre des hommes Foundation wishes to share with the reader in its new report "The little hands of the stone quarries".