{"id":1895,"date":"2011-11-06T18:00:25","date_gmt":"2011-11-07T01:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/humanium.org\/en\/?page_id=1895"},"modified":"2025-12-06T06:13:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T06:13:33","slug":"benin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/benin\/","title":{"rendered":"Children of Benin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Realizing Children\u2019s Rights in Benin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_614949185-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33693\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_578646829-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33694\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benin is a stable democracy in a relatively volatile region where some of its neighbors have been targeted by Boko Haram. Despite its political stability, the country struggles with the consequences of poor performance on crucial issues such as healthcare and education. Moreover, another challenge Benin needs to deal with are the serious human rights violations stemming from superstition.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d4031868.103619012!2d0.06484612772852213!3d9.300339618256649!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x1023542b047a5695%3A0xecb277f8cb622ef5!2sBenin!5e0!3m2!1sen!2shr!4v1586615731590!5m2!1sen!2shr\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" aria-hidden=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Population:<\/strong> 11,4 millions<br><strong>Pop. ages 0-14:<\/strong> 42,4 %<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Life expectancy:<\/strong>&nbsp;61.1 years<br><strong>Under-5 mortality rate:<\/strong>&nbsp;93 \u2030<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benin at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a small, mostly flat country sandwiched between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/togo\/\">Togo<\/a> to the west, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/nigeria\/\">Nigeria<\/a> to the east, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/burkina-faso\/\">Burkina Faso<\/a> to the northwest, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/niger\/\">Niger<\/a> to the north and the Bight of Benin portion of the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It has a humid tropical climate in the south and a semiarid tropical climate in the north.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33699\" style=\"width:337px;height:223px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1.png 777w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-768x510.png 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-230x153.png 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-350x232.png 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-480x319.png 480w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-2-1-272x182.png 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Present day Benin was the site of the West African kingdom of Dahomey, known \u2013 among other things \u2013 for its fierce female warriors. Dahomey was also one of the most important African actors of the infamous slave trade, which helped propel it into the status of a regional power. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/europe-caucasus-france\/\">France<\/a> eventually conquered Dahomey in 1894 and Benin regained its independence only 66 years later in 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the remnants of its former colonial power is that the official language of Benin is French. While French is also the language of instruction at schools, Fon and Yoruba constitute the most widely spoken native languages in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today Benin, with its two de-facto capital cities of Porto-Novo (constitutional capital) and Cotonou (seat of government), is one of the most stable democracies in sub-Saharan Africa. While its political stability and well-established democratic institutions are admirable, Benin still has a lot of work to do in other areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Addressing the Needs of Children <strong><u><strong><u><a href=\"#_ftn1\">[1]<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/fundamental-rights-2\/health\/\">Right to Health<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Children under the age of 15 constitute 45 % of the population of Benin and the median age of the entire population is 17 years. An average Beninese woman starts having children at the ago of 20 and has 5 children during her lifetime. Unfortunately, Benin has the 15<sup>th<\/sup> highest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/infant-mortality\/\">infant mortality<\/a> rate in the world, 58 out of every 1000 children not surviving beyond the age of 1.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33708\" style=\"width:318px;height:212px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-830x552.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-480x319.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1019795677-1-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Government\u2019s health expenditure per child is considered low to average in African terms at around 31 USD, whereas it stands at 280 USD in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/equatorial-guinea\/\">Equatorial Guinea<\/a>. As of 2015 only 19% of the population has access to adequate sanitation facilities and there is a high to very high risk of major infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and meningococcal meningitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of 2018, 16% of children under the age of 5 are critically underweight, which represents an improvement from the 2014 figure of 33%, but indicates that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/poor-children\/\">poverty<\/a> and deprivation are still a major concern in the country. Benin, as any country, and especially as a country that ratified the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/convention\/\">Convention on the Rights of the Child<\/a> has important obligations to meet, including eliminating child malnutrition and poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/right-to-education\/\">Right to Education<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As of 2016, girls are still only expected to complete 11 years of their formal schooling, whereas boys attend school for 14 years on average. This shows in Benin\u2019s literacy rate, which stands at only 31 % for women, and at 54 % for men. The overall literacy rate of 42 % is still a great deal behind the African average of 70 %. As of 2016, Benin is the 106<sup>th<\/sup> country in the world when it comes to its overall expenditure on education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Child-Sensitive Social Protection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/protection\/\">Social protection<\/a> is essential for preventing and reducing poverty for children and their families, for addressing inequalities, and for realizing children\u2019s rights. In addition, it is essential that social protection programmes respond to children\u2019s vulnerabilities by optimizing positive effects for children and minimizing potential adverse consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"939\" height=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33700\" style=\"width:351px;height:234px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1.png 939w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-830x552.png 830w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-230x153.png 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-350x233.png 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-480x319.png 480w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Picture-1-1-272x182.png 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Children in Benin often face vulnerabilities exacerbated by a range of risk factors which severely impact their well-being and capacity to exercise their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/universal-declaration\/\">human rights<\/a>. Child-sensitive social protection has the opportunity to address chronic poverty, social exclusion, and external shocks which can irreversibly affect children. Only 8 % of the population of Benin is covered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/fundamental-rights-2\/health\/\">health insurance<\/a> in case they were to require medical treatment. This stands in sharp contrast with the prevalence of infectious diseases in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Government of Benin has tried to address the issue by investing over half a million euros in social protection action plan. Despite this, many children and families continue to face barriers accessing basic social services. As such, it is important that policies, legislation, and regulations effectively consider the viewpoint of children, youth, and their caregivers- so that children\u2019s rights are met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Risk factors \u2192 Country-specific challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/cultural-practices\/\"><strong>Cultural Practices<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The practice of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/genital-mutilation\/\">female genital mutilation<\/a> still exists in certain regions of Benin. &nbsp;The precariousness and lack of hygienic conditions under which these circumcisions are performed often result in serious consequences affecting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/health-2\/\">health<\/a> of young girls for years to come. Infections, hemorrhaging or other, sometimes life-threatening complications frequently result from this procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33705\" style=\"width:319px;height:212px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-480x320.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shutterstock_1052243870-1-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In some regions of Benin certain beliefs promote practices that result in cruel and inhuman treatment towards children. Although the country has attempted to halt these practices, they persist in certain areas. According to certain customs, if a child is born with deformities, or if a mother dies in childbirth, or even if a baby is born in the breach position, the child is considered evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These children are then considered to be abnormal and given to an executioner. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/infanticide\/\">Infanticide<\/a> is not practiced by all inhabitants of Benin and only concerns certain beliefs that are \u2013 fortunately \u2013 rather rare. Nevertheless, these practices are extremely serious and constitute extreme violations of children\u2019s right to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/child-marriage\/\">Child Marriage<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/forced-marriage-in-benin\/\">Forced marriages<\/a> are still common in Benin and they have the potential to destroy a child\u2019s future prospects. Girls are often forced into arranged marriages before they reach puberty and would be able to make an informed decision on whether to marry and who to marry. This illegal practice is in sharp contrast to Benin\u2019s official age of consent of 18 years. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/exploitation\/\"><strong>Child Exploitation<\/strong><\/a><strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/lgbtq-children\/\">LGBT Rights<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, over 36 % of children are forced into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/child-labour\/\">child labor<\/a> in Benin. Children in rural areas may be given to some distant family members living in the city and are promised a good education, and in particular, access to schools. Unfortunately, in some cases, these children are exploited and forced to work under unacceptable conditions at cotton plantations or granite mines. Child labor increases the risk of being subjected to different forms of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/abuse\/\">child abuse<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Benin, unlike its neighbors Togo and Nigeria, does not criminalize consensual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/lgbtq-children\/\">homosexual<\/a> sexual intercourse, adolescent Beninese struggle to establish romantic relationships as their partners might risk 6 months to 3 years in prison as a result of the unequal age of consent for homosexuals at 21 years. Homosexuals in Benin also face social stigma and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/discrimination\/\">widespread discrimination.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Written by Matyas Baan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Last updated on 11 April 2020<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>For More Information:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.solidaridadconbenin.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Solidaridad con Ben\u00edn &#8211; NGO in Asturias, Spain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>References:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/socialpolicy\/files\/CSSP_joint_statement_9.13.10.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Advancing Child-Sensitive Social Protection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/afrique\/article\/2018\/12\/25\/etre-adolescent-et-gay-au-benin-c-est-vivre-cache-dans-un-monde-libre_5402066_3212.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Le Monde (25 December 2018)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/grapher\/median-age\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Median Age (2015) &#8211; Our World in Data (Benin)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"http:\/\/revealingbenin.com\/programme-dactions\/programme\/protection-sociale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Social Protection Action Plan &#8211; Benin<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">The CIA World Factbook (n.d.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Benin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia Benin (n.d.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"#_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> <em>This article by no means purports to give a full or representative account of children\u2019s rights i<\/em><em>n Benin<\/em><em>; indeed, one of the many challenges is the scant updated information on <\/em><em>Benin<\/em><em> children, much of which is unreliable, not representative, outdated or simply non-existent.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Realizing Children\u2019s Rights in Benin Benin is a stable democracy in a relatively volatile region where some of its neighbors have been targeted by Boko Haram. Despite its political stability, the country struggles with the consequences of poor performance on crucial issues such as healthcare and education. Moreover, another challenge Benin needs to deal with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1895","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Children of Benin - Humanium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite its political stability, Benin struggles with the consequences of poor performance on crucial issues such as healthcare and education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/benin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Children of Benin - 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