"I believed it was our laws and regulations, governed by the voodoo and the oracles that determined how long children should spend in the convent." Hide Caption 2 of 10 10 photos: Plan International has interviewed some of the children that were recently released, including Eric, 13, who arrived at a convent unconscious. Operating in the district of Couffo in south Benin, the organization has interviewed dozens of parents, voodoo priests and children about life inside these spaces. "I was given a concoction and every time I took it, I was sick -- that was my treatment until I healed," recalls Houndedji, 6, one of the children Plan International interviewed. He first became concerned about the practices inside the convents in early 2015, when he noticed a group of children standing outside a convent.

Source: CNN June 02, 2016 09:22 UTC