There have been occasional reports of slavery in recent times, but none as outrageous as the missing ship carrying a hundred or more children sold as slaves. This is not an isolated case it is a thriving, illicit business that is making slave traders very rich. Girls often end up as domestic workers.
Conditions are harsh.
The children some less than 10 years old work up to 12 hours a day, are paid little or no money and are rarely heard from by their parents again, workers say. It seems equally outrageous that parents would sell their children to slave traders, but impoverished and illiterate families believe the false promises. Sending the children away is seen as a chance for them to get an education and escape from poverty. Such dire conditions breed desperation and twist logic. The old cargo ship, believed to be carrying up to 250 children, has been making regular trips from Benin to Gabon loaded with human cargo over the last five years.