It was also doubtful whether the passengers had enough food and water. U.N. officials earlier said they believed the Etireno could contain 100-250 children from Benin and other African countries destined for slavery. The Etireno's final destination remained uncertain. Officials in Benin said Saturday that it was bound for the country's commercial capital, Cotonou, where it began its journey in secret more than a week ago. 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. The aging Etireno had made regular trips from Benin to Gabon loaded with human cargo over the past five years, said Hadi Lai Landou, a senior official with the Benin state shipping firm said. The company was contracted to provide docking and other services for the ship. Benin 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. Landou said both countries' governments knew that unaccompanied minors were traveling on the boats in miserable conditions.