INTERPOL FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD EXPLOITATION

SAN PEDRO, Côte d’Ivoire – More than 48 children have been rescued and 22 people arrested following an operation targeting child trafficking and exploitation in Côte d’Ivoire.
Nearly 200 law enforcement officers from the police, gendarmerie and forestry agencies took part in Operation Akoma (1 – 6 June) which focused on the agricultural and trade sectors around the San Pedro area in the south west of the country.
The children, aged between five and 16, were discovered working under extreme conditions, seriously jeopardizing their health. The victims who had been working in the fields for up to a year told investigators they would regularly work long hours every day and receive no salary or education. Victims originated from Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, as well as the northern region of Côte d’Ivoire.