Strasbourg, 21/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament, during its topical debates, adopted a resolution on the trafficking of children in Africa, following the case of the Etireno ship registered in Nigeria which, last April, was heading to Benin in Gabon, carried 43 children and young adults of which at least twelve where, according to the investigations carried out, "potential slaves". The Parliament notes that certain multinationals "indirectly" use child labour, and that the low world prices for cacao and other products have lead to an increased use, in the countries concerned, of "low cost child labour". The European Parliament thus calls: - on the Benin authorities to seriously investigate this serious incident, and on all the countries of Central and Western Africa to fight with greater conviction against all forms of child trafficking; - on the EU Member States to pay greater attention to the issue of human cargo, when ships try to land in their ports.
Furthermore, the Parliament welcomes the initiative by the United Kingdom, Ghana and the Ivory Coast to establish a task force on the issue of forced labour in the production of cacao in Western Africa, and calls for the labelling of products to allow for a rapid identification by those which are obtained while respecting ethics. Moreover, it invites the European Commission to present proposals in order for "rural development in African countries to be able to put an end to the phenomenon of child labour.