At least 165,000 child migrant labourers - study

Burkina Faso has at least 165,000 migrant labourers aged six to 17 years and half of them work abroad - mainly in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Benin - a study on child labour migration shows.

Most of the young migrant labourers were boys, according to the study by the NGO Terre des Hommes and the World Bank. It was conducted in April and its findings reviewed in July. "The study focused on rural children who left the household to find work in urban areas or abroad," Terre des Hommes said on Thursday.

At least 60,000 of the child migrant labourers worked in Cote d'Ivoire alone. These included 30,000 girls, many of whom left to search for "emancipation", the researchers found.

According to the study, poverty was a much less a contributing factor to migration than anticipated. "The better-off households sent almost as many children away to work. The exception was a slightly lower rate for girls sent to work in urban areas," it said. "Household savings only reduce the likelihood that boys are sent abroad to work and the overall wealth of the village has no effect at all."

At least 4,500 rural households were surveyed. The study found that 25.5 percent of the children left with the objective of studying. The average age for boys was 11.5 years and for girls, 10.8 years.

Within Burkina Faso, at least 82,000 children - including 36,000 girls - had migrated to work in urban areas. Most were in Ouagadougou and Bobo Diolassou, the number two town.

"Child labour migration has increased steadily in Burkina Faso over the last five years. In 2001, more than 60,000 rural children left their parents to work in the cities or neighbouring countries," the report said.

Child labour migration, Terres des Hommes said, could be reduced through a massive information campaign, an improvement in rural living standards and legal reforms including reviewing outstanding protocols with neighbouring countries.

Full report