Benin asked for UN help today after it was revealed that 30 of the youngsters found on a suspected slave ship have not been claimed from childrens' homes.
The small West African country's government officially requested assistance from the Unicef, the UN children's agency
Mr Nicolas Pron, a senior Unicef official in Benin, confirmed that 30 of the minors put in children's homes after the Etireno docked in Cotonou earlier this week "have not been claimed by parents or relatives." One child had been collected by family members and about 10 others were released because they were found to be 18 or older.
The development appeared to bolster the possibility the children were victims of illegal traffickers, sources close to the investigation said.
Aid workers estimate that potentially hundreds of thousands of children in West and Central Africa have been smuggled away from their families in return for as little as £10 cash and promises of education. The children are often used instead as unpaid plantation or domestic workers.
Benin police overnight arrested another of the Etireno's crew. The ship's Nigerian captain was already in custody.
AP