In Aboisso, a city located in the south-east of Côte d’Ivoire, the economic crisis that has hit the country has aggravated the poverty of Ivorian families, pushing some households to send their children to work rather than to school. This phenomenon affects more than 1,400,000 children, who are exploited in the markets or on the plantations. Young girls are the first victims of this. Often relegated to domestic duties, they are the first to work in the markets. Nicknamed the “Baggage Tanties”, they carry the bags of rice or baskets of women who do their shopping and collect the garbage from the shops. Aged between 6 and 17, they are exposed to violence, abuse, and exploitation.
To fight against the early work of these young girls, the association SOS Children’s Villages intervenes in the cities of Yamoussoukro and Abobo-Gare to take young girls off the street. Some 200 girls have been taken in charge by the association to be reeducated or trained. Their parents are supported in strengthening their parenting skills and their economic autonomy. In 2022, the association is deploying this program in the city of Aboisso, a cocoa-growing region that is prone to child labor.
For over 60 years SOS Children’s Villages has been welcoming and reuniting siblings separated from their parents and offering them the chance to grow up in a stable emotional and educational environment. It also accompanies vulnerable families to prevent family breakdowns and to ensure that the rights of the child are known, respected and advanced.
