Authorities in Benin were unable to launch an effective search for the ship since the country has only about five small patrol boats, often in poor repair, Benin officials said on condition of anonymity. U.N. officials have expressed concern that the crew, to avoid arrest, might try to dump the children at sea. Benin, a country of 6 million, has a dark history of human bondage. It is one of the world's poorest nations while Gabon, a thinly populated, oil-producing nation to the southeast, is relatively wealthy by African standards. Girls often end up as domestic workers or prostitutes.
Conditions are harsh.
Many children go unpaid and some may never see their parents again, aid workers say.