In Benin, child labor is widespread. According to a UNICEF study, 52% of children are exploited in work. Where 40% of the population (11 million inhabitants) lives below the poverty line, 7,800 children (INSAE) are in work.
In Cotonou, the economic capital, a large part of the children aged 6 to 15 are to be found in the Dantokpa market, a real labyrinth. This maze is the largest in West Africa ; it is filled with stalls and the children stroll in search of a few francs.For hours they practise meboto, which consists in sorting ginger, onions, tomatoes,...They help women carry their groceries or help the merchants in their sales. Tshata is their second main activity : these young men mainly collect scrap metal . All day long, they wander over huge open dumps in search of cans, electrical wires or plastic bottles. They exchange them for money in ‘points of sale’ at the end of the day. A good day for a child represents 800 CFA (650 CFA = 1Euro). With this money they can eat 2 meals at best and buy new clothes.
These children are left to fend for themselves in the street that looks down on them. The Cotonois are suspicious. Street children are often seen as unreliable, thieves and scammers. Many of them fled their daily lives. Accused of witchcraft, mistreated, abondoned, orphans, they left their villages for Cotonou. Hoping to get a better life, they ended up in the street. Parents’ low level of education, rural exodus, tradition and low cost of child labor did not help them get out of it. They live in difficult conditions and are the victims of contemporary forms of slavery. We can speak of cases of massive violations of the rights of the child, in particular ill-treatment including corporal punishment, trafficking and exploitation on a daily basis. Only the few associations and NGOs based in Cotonou help these children.The association ‘Terres Rouges’ offers them overnight accomodation with breakfast so that they become aware of their condition and try to get out of it. Other associations take care of the children during the day by providing them with two meals a day but leave them to themselves at night.The children sometimes juggle from one association to another.
Despite existing laws for the protection of minors, the phenomenon is only increasing.
In March 2018, I organized a photo workshop with the street children welcomed by "Terres Rouges" there. Every evening around thirty children are accommodated by the association. The "dormitory" is a free place where they feel safe. They can prepare food, wash and rest there. But above all they can interact with a team of educators, social workers and psychologists who support them in seeking training or who take care of their family reintegration.
At 5 p.m., the children come back one by one to the dormitory. They go about their daily activities: laundry, cooking, games ... Around 7 p.m., everyone gathers and shares their day, their difficulties, but also what made them happy.
I took advantage of these moments of speech to introduce myself and explained to them what photojournalism is through projections of my reports. The following week, at the same time of day, I showed them how to use disposable cameras (Fuji movie 27 views). For two weeks, when leaving the dormitory, a different group left for work, with an exceptional device in their pocket. They took turns becoming photographers for a day or two.
I made the choice not to accompany them, so as not to alter their work and leave them free when shooting. I got the boxes when they got back to the dorm. Given the situation of the children, the bet was not won, I was warned of the possibility of loss, theft, resale. It never happened. In the end, 15 children participated in the workshop. It ended up in developing films in Cotonou and organizing an exhibition in the premises of the association. Together, we made the choice of photos and scenography.
Through this project, I wanted to share their reality and allow them to be at the center of their documentary. Their very eyes show us their truth
The choice of photos on display is a personal choice. It demonstrates their innate sense of aesthetics. Also, their pictures tell us, through the repetition of the photographed acts, of the heaviness of their hard work. A documentary by Anicet, Arnaud, Brice, Chêrif, Cyril, Fabrice, Germain, Hippolyte, Marizouk, Remi, Rodrigue, Tchégon, Toundé, Yves and Wilfried.
