Child-protection project launched

A two-year project aimed at protecting children from “the worst forms of child labour” was officially launched on Monday in Senegal’s capital Dakar, a UNICEF official told IRIN on Tuesday. The project aims to prevent children from being placed in abusive situations such as hard labour and sexual exploitation, and to rehabilitate those who are already victims of such practices. The project also seeks to reinforce cooperation and strengthen the capacities of ministries, NGOs and other agencies involved in the project to enable them to care better for the minors. The launch coincided with the release of statistics covering the period 1993-2000, which reveal that some 400,000 minors aged between six years and 18 years are in “vulnerable and risky situations” in Senegal. They include 34,000 young girls who work as domestics for between US $3 and US $6 per month, and 100,000 minors employed in farming and fishing. Children displaced by fighting in the southern area of Casamance are also part of the target group. The statistics, released by UNICEF, the International Labour Organization and others agencies, reveal that many of the children suffered from traumas and psychological disorders and that they often lived away from their families. Italy’s development agency, Cooperazione Italiana, is the principal donor, contributing US $1.5 million to the project.