Child Protection : Experts meet in Abidjan for 2 days to discuss about efforts to address the issue

On December 7, 2022, the Child Protection Partnership (CPC) was signed between the United States of America and Côte d'Ivoire. On September 21, 2023, in Cocody, the First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara, President of the National Oversight Committee to Fight Child Trafficking, l'Exploitation and Child Labour (CNS), launched the activities of the child protection partnership between the United States of America and Côte d'Ivoire. More than a year after the effective launch of the framework for action, the first annual dialogue was held at the Office of the First Lady from Wednesday January 21 to Thursday January 22, 2025.

Chaired by Mrs. N'da Bindé Nadia, representative of Mrs. Yao Patricia Sylvie, Executive Secretary of the National Oversight Committee to Fight Child Trafficking, l'Exploitation and Child Labour (CNS), this 1st meeting was an opportunity for all stakeholders to discuss efforts made to implement the partnership and results that were achieved, as well as to identify the difficulties encountered and plan future actions. As such, it was an extremely important meeting which enabled lessons to be drawn from the strengths and weaknesses of the CPC partnership's implementation, with a view to effectively achieving the desired objectives.

The meeting witnessed the participation of Pauline Werner and Rebecca Lesnak, program advisors in the U.S. State Department's Bureau for Combating Trafficking in Persons; Professors Zhang Sheldon and Charles Hounmenou from the University of Massachusetts Lowell; Ivorian government representatives; specialized Police units ; and many other organizations.

Mrs N'da Nadia Bindé, representing Mrs Yao Patricia Sylvie, Executive Secretary of the CNS, recalled the importance of this forum for Côte d'Ivoire, which has made the elimination of child trafficking a national priority through successive National Development Plans. According to her, it is important for for children involved into trafficking, that Côte d'Ivoire and the United States of America officially launched the implementation of the CPC partnership on September 21, 2023, under the aegis and high patronage of the First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara, President of the CNS. She recalled that more than a year after the launch of the CPC action framework, it is important for all stakeholders to meet again to take stock of the progress made and set the next milestones. She also called on all parties to work in synergy to achieve the objectives of this partnership. “In view of the strategic importance of this partnership, I would like to urge all those responsible for its implementation to work hard and effectively, in perfect alignment with the objectives and priority actions defined in the agreement, but also in a collaborative and inclusive spirit, with a view to being accountable to the signatory authorities”, declared Mrs N'da, before adding: “only a concerted approach on the part of all stakeholders can enable us to achieve the expected results”.

A call for vigilance

The elimination of child trafficking remains a major challenge for Côte d'Ivoire, given the security contingencies in certain neighboring countries, which are causing a massive influx of migrants. Mrs N'da called for vigilance and determination to counter all forms of child trafficking. “We must be vigilant and determined to effectively counter all forms of both overt and covert child trafficking for the purposes of begging, domestic work or sexual and economic exploitation in our country”, recommended Mrs N'da Nadia Bindé.

She also welcomed the study by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, which will provide a more accurate mapping of the phenomenon and a better profile of child trafficking, enabling appropriate responses.

The fight against child labor: A regression of nearly 18 percentage points between 2012 and 2021

her speech, Mrs N'da revealed that pooling the efforts of the various players involved in the fight, has enabled Côte d'Ivoire to make significant progress in reducing child trafficking and child labor. “Indeed, according to the comparative analysis of data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS 2012 and 2016), and the Côte d'Ivoire Demographic and Health Survey (EDS-CI 2021), the national prevalence of the phenomenon has fallen from 39% in 2012 to 31.3% in 2016 and then to 21.6% in 2021, representing a regression of almost 18 percentage points between 2012 and 2021”, revealed Mrs N'da. With a view to stepping up action on the ground, Côte d'Ivoire is continuing to strengthen its response mechanism at both central and decentralized levels. Mrs N'da spoke of the creation of a new special brigade to combat child trafficking, begging and economic exploitation throughout the Autonomous District of Abidjan. This unit was created by order of the Governor of the Autonomous District of Abidjan on May 25, 2024. “All these efforts and Côte d'Ivoire's ongoing commitment to combating human trafficking, particularly child trafficking, have earned our country a regular ranking in tier 2 among countries making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Act,” Mrs N'da recalled.

Ms Pauline Werner, Program Advisor in the U.S. State Department's Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, expressed her satisfaction about the discussions that had taken place during the meeting. She also thanked the First Lady for her commitment to the fight against child labor.

Professor Charles Hounmenou presented the study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A question-and-answer session brought the opening ceremony to a close.