Most of the West African countries have extremely high levels of poverty, ranging from 40% to 72% . Consequently families need the contribution of their children's earnings to survive. These areas are precisely where the traffickers prey for desperate people (International Labor Organization). Many families work in the informal sector in order to earn a living because the economy has been experiencing such a low level of growth. The sluggish economy also provides disincentives for parents to send their children to school since an education does not automatically result in being able to secure a job

Slave traders are trafficking boys ranging from the age of 12 to 16 and are selling them to cocoa farmers in Cote d'Ivoire. They work on small farms across the country, harvesting the cocoa beans day and night, under inhumane conditions. Agents hang around  looking for children that are alone or are begging for food. They lure the kids  with them, and then the traffickers sell the children to farmers in need of cheap labor.