A/HRC/45/8/Add.1 likely to be harmful to their health or development; and (b) not such as to prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation or training programmes approved by the competent authority or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received (art. 7 (1)). As a transitional measure, the ages 12 and 14 may be substituted for the ages 13 and 15, and the age 14 for the age 15, where a State’s economy and educational facilities are insufficiently developed (art. 7 (4)). 35. In addition, children under the age of 13 may undertake household chores in their own homes, in reasonable conditions. These are considered an integral part of family life and are not generally classified as child labour, given that the employment element is missing. Nevertheless, there are circumstances where workloads and conditions amount to child labour, servitude or slavery-like conditions.13 B. Scale of the problem 36. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur was informed about the widespread prevalence of child labour in Togo. In 2014, Togo had reportedly one of the highest rates of child labour in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region,14 with most children being active in sectors such as domestic work, agriculture, commerce/trade and construction, and as informal vendors in markets. More recent government statistics relating to child labour were not available at the time of the visit, but partial statistics were received from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which indicated that, for example in the city of Tsévié, 368 girls and 467 boys had been identified as working in gravel quarries between January and November 2019.15 C. Examples of manifestations of the worst forms of child labour Domestic servitude as part of the confiage system 37. On the basis of information received during the visit, domestic servitude of children continues to be a common practice in Togo. The large majority of child domestic workers are girls from poor families in rural areas. Isolated from their families, they are vulnerable to exploitation, including sexual abuse and forced labour. 38. Children’s engagement in domestic work is often connected to confiage, a longstanding cultural practice of placing children from rural areas with relatives in cities, mostly for domestic work. Confiage is also resorted to in case of sickness, divorce or death within families, as traditionally the extended family takes care of the children in such circumstances. The Special Rapporteur noted through testimonies that the confiage system had proven advantageous for some children who had been able to attend school while being placed with family members. However, degeneration of the confiage practice leads in some cases to the trafficking of children within Togo and across borders for the purpose of labour exploitation, often in domestic work or in the agricultural sector, or for sexual exploitation. When the children reach their destination, they are often forced to work long hours, deprived of sleep and food, and are sometimes exploited sexually. Girls are mainly exploited in the domestic sector, while boys engage in activities related to vulcanizing, and peanut and water vending, among other jobs. 39. The confiage practice has a long history and continues to have a high level of social acceptance. Generally, there is low awareness of the potentially exploitative nature of this practice. Traditionally, confiage has been considered a natural way of “socializing” children as young as 6 or below. However, poverty is also one of the root causes of the confiage practice, because if parents are unable to care for a child, they send the child to relatives in an urban area. Often, such arrangements are made with the parents’ intention being to 13 14 15 See the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). ILO, “The twin challenges of child labour and educational marginalisation in the ECOWAS region” (2014), p. 16. Partial statistics received from UNICEF after the visit, in April 2020. 7