 In parts of Ghana, Togo, and Benin, shrine slavery persists, despite being illegal in Ghana since 1998.In this system of ritual servitude, sometimes called "trokosi" (in Ghana) or "voodoosi" in Togo and Benin, young virgin girls are given as slaves to traditional shrines and are used sexually by the priests in addition to providing free labor for the shrine.An article in the "Middle East Quarterly" in 1999 reported that slavery is endemic in Sudan.