A/HRC/45/8/Add.1 47. In 2016, the National Commission for the Reception and Reintegration of Child Victims of Trafficking identified 281 child victims of trafficking, including 194 girls, of whom 225 were intercepted before arrival at their destination and 53 were repatriated from Benin, Gabon and Nigeria. The Government reported that in 2017 it assisted 213 child victims of trafficking. According to information received, the number of reported cases has decreased, with 147 children assisted, including 139 girls, in 2019. 48. The Special Rapporteur notes with concern the discrepancies and gaps relating to the collection of data by various governmental agencies and other stakeholders on the number of child victims of trafficking. For example, in 2018, the Government reported that through the fund established in 2013 to cover the expenses for food, medical assistance and travel as well as the costs for social and professional reintegration of victims of trafficking,18 2,987 child victims, including 1,861 girls, had been identified and supported in 2013 and 2014 and in the first six months of 2017. 49. Given the hidden nature of these crimes, it is likely that the real figures for children subjected to trafficking are significantly higher but that many cases are not reported. Also as a result of the existing impunity in such cases, the majority of child victims of trafficking within the country continue to be subjected to child labour, including worst forms of child labour such as domestic servitude. 50. According to information received by the Special Rapporteur, it appears that prosecutions of perpetrators of trafficking in persons are rare. A lack of investigative and prosecutorial capacity, porous borders and sociocultural factors reportedly lead to this situation. If prosecuted, perpetrators are often given light sentences. For example, in 2015, the Government recorded 124 reports of child trafficking cases, followed by 112 investigations, 101 prosecutions and 60 convictions. Some perpetrators are allegedly released because of the corruption of public officials. Poverty as a driver of child labour 51. Child labour can have multiple causes, which may be of an economic, political, legal or cultural nature. Impunity of perpetrators who subject children to hazardous and exploitative work, for example, is one of the root causes of child labour in Togo, and so is poverty. The following sections will focus on the latter, as poverty was frequently mentioned as a factor in this regard. 52. According to UNICEF, more than 60 per cent of children lived in poor families in 2018, and more than 80 per cent, particularly in the rural areas, suffered from at least one form of deprivation related to nutrition, health, water, sanitation, housing, protection, information or education.19 Poverty is often associated with isolation and greater reliance on agriculture. An estimated 60 per cent of the population of Togo, and 97 per cent of the rural population, are engaged wholly or primarily in agriculture. At the same time, most farmers live below the poverty line, and the rate of rural poverty is 69 per cent.20 53. Furthermore, climate change-related weather shocks, such as drought or badly timed rainfalls, are a recognized driver of poverty among the population engaged in farming. In this context, child labour remains a survival strategy for many families, as well as for children themselves. 18 19 20 The Special Rapporteur was informed that the fund had an allocated annual budget line of between 18 million and 20 million CFA francs. E/ICEF/2018/P/L.21, para. 1. World Bank, Togo: Future Sources of Growth (2019), p. 84. 9