g.
Abuse and Negligence (Art.16 and 27 ACRWC):
o
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Overview on Ill-treatment of Children:
The following remarks result from a survey on the issue:
Survey on violence on child school-based violence in Benin (MEPS/UNICEF2009)
This survey is mostly focused on sexual harassment and sexual violence on children.
In school environment, 9.3% of children are victims of sexual violence such as sexual
harassment, female genital mutilations and induced abortions.
The social log-book on the situation of vulnerable children
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This document was published in September 2010 and counted out of 10,440 children
registered during the survey by the Social Promotion Centers of the Ministry in charge
of the Family 14 children (girls entirely) who were victims of sexual abuse.
Departments of the Littoral, Ouémé and Borgou (3 children respectively) are the
places where sexual abuse has been more declared.
The survey has determined the characteristics of children victims of sexual abuses
and the consequences. Sexual abuses concern girls less than 10 to 18 years among
whom there are 5 pupils or students, 4 school dropouts, 4 uneducated and 1 female
apprentice. Among educated girls, 4 managed to be at the fourth-grade level (6 years
of primary level) and 2 are at the lower secondary school level. The majority of the
actions are committed without any protection that is to say without the use of
condoms and result in pregnancies (3 cases declared out of 14), abortion (1 case),
and sexually transmitted infection (1 case). The age of the perpetrators, who are
generally males, varies between 20 and 35 years but those of 35 years assault girls
the more.
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Reports of the Listening and Assistance Service for women and girls victims of
violence
According to the first performance report of reception, listening and advice services
for women and girls victims of violence installed in forty-nine Social Promotion
Centers forty-nine (49) communes out of the seventy-seven (77) of Benin), 1942
cases or about 1/3 of victims of violence have been reported to these services in
2012. The types of violence children are victims are: ill-treatment (assault and battery
in terms of corporal punishment), trade, neglect and abandonment, forced marriage,
rape, harassment,
More recent surveys have been carried out and their results are being expected.
Benin reinforces progressively and significantly its legal and institutional framework of
child protection against abuses.
o
Legal Framework of Child Protection against Ill-treatments:
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Constitutional Guarantees:
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The Basic Law N°90-32 of 11 December 1990 on the Constitution of the Republic of
Benin enshrines sacrality and inviolability of the human being.
In its Article 8, the Constitution prescribes the right of mothers and children to social
protection measures.
Also, in its Articles 18 and 19, the Constitution prohibits any action of torture or
inhuman or degrading treatment against anybody including children.
These constitutional guarantees result in other regulatory Laws and Acts subject to
the criminal, civil and administrative frameworks as well.
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