The work scheduled will fill out for the region the commitments made in the Ouagadougou Declaration adopted at last year's Pan African Conference of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. There was also unanimous agreement on the importance of advocacy on the issue of child slavery and child labour. Many families are trying to improve their children's circumstances. Entrusting children to others is a standard cultural practice in West Africa.
Some impoverished families borrow money from others, using their children as collateral.
If they break their agreement their children are sold as a consequence. The Benin Red Cross has determined that the best way to combat child trafficking is through awareness programmes. It has formed committees at the National headquarters, branch and local levels. These committees mobilise volunteers who, via census data, survey communities for signs of child-trafficking. Volunteers work closely with the community, traditional leaders and authorities in an effort to change behaviour by informing them of the negative consequences of certain practices involving children.