Human Trafficking in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]
Street Children in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]
 

Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

The Central African Republic [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic [map] upon independence in 1960. It is a landlocked nation located in central Africa and bordered by Chad (N), Sudan (E), The Democratic Republic of the Congo and The Republic of the Congo (S), and Cameroon (W). Bangui is its capital and largest city. Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy, with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

The Central African Republic (C.A.R.) is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. The majority of victims are children trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, ambulant vending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor. To a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the C.A.R. to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the same purposes listed above. Children may also be trafficked from Rwanda to the C.A.R. In addition, rebels conscript children into armed forces within the country. In February and March 2007, a rebel group, possibly the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army, attacked villages in southeastern C.A.R. and abducted men, women, and children for forced labor as porters, soldiers, and sexual slaves. Men and women Pygmies, unable to survive as hunters and gatherers because of depleted forests, are subjected to forced agricultural labor by Central African villagers. Authorities in the C.A.R. have a limited awareness of trafficking, and none of the nation’s young, but developing, civil society organizations has an anti-trafficking focus. No comprehensive trafficking studies have been conducted and little concrete data exists. However, preliminary findings of a 2007 UNICEF-Government of the C.A.R. study on violence linked to child labor reveal that abusive child labor practices are widespread. In addition, a 2005 UNICEF study on child sexual exploitation found over 40 sex trafficking cases in Bangui and four provinces. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country report]

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in the Central African Republic. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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Crime & Society -  Comparative Criminology tour of the World - Central African Republic

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS- The indigenous Ba'Aka often are coerced into agricultural, domestic, and other types of labor within the country. The Ba'Aka often are considered to be the slaves of other local ethnic groups, and subjected to wages far below those prescribed by the labor code. Additionally there have been credible reports of three cases in which persons obtained a Ba'Aka child by deception and subsequently sent the child to Europe for adoption. One of the cases reportedly involved the implicit cooperation of government authorities.

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National Plan of Action

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children are trafficked to the Central African Republic generally from Nigeria, Sudan and Chad for work in domestic service, small shops, and agriculture.  Traveling merchants, herders, and other foreigners working in and transiting the country sometimes brought boys and girls with them.  Such children did not attend school and were not paid for their work.  There are some reports that children are trafficked from the country to Nigeria and other nearby nations for work in agriculture.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – There was strong agreement among NGOs and government officials that trafficking in persons was not widespread. Trafficking was confined primarily to children, both girls and boys, who were primarily orphans. During the year there were reports that these children were forced into domestic servitude and commercial labor activities, such as street vending and agricultural work. In recent years, there were reports that children were brought in by members of the foreign Muslim community from Nigeria, Sudan, and Chad and that merchants, herders, and other foreigners doing business in and transiting the country brought girls and boys into the country. It was not clear whether children who were victims of trafficking were related to their caretakers. Child trafficking victims were not afforded the benefit of a formal education, despite the mandatory school age, and worked without remuneration for their labor. There were a few anecdotal reports of children being trafficked to Nigeria and several other nearby countries for use as agricultural workers.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2000

[50] The Committee joins the State party in expressing deep concern at the problems suffered by children in the context of domestic adoption, inter-country adoption and guardianship proceedings, and in particular at reports of the ill-treatment of children by guardians

[84] The Committee is concerned that children may be at risk of being sold or made to engage in prostitution.

The Protection Project - Central African Republic [DOC]

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - Deterioration of living conditions in rural areas and the search for unskilled and docile workers are blamed for trafficking in children from the Central African Republic to Cameroon. Poverty, coupled with large family size, is also a main contributing factor. Other factors include strong demand for labor in the informal sector, low awareness of trafficking among the local population, open borders, and corrupt officials.

Crime & Society - Comparative Criminology tour of the World - Central African Republic

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS- The indigenous Ba'Aka often are coerced into agricultural, domestic, and other types of labor within the country. The Ba'Aka often are considered to be the slaves of other local ethnic groups, and subjected to wages far below those prescribed by the labor code. Additionally there have been credible reports of three cases in which persons obtained a Ba'Aka child by deception and subsequently sent the child to Europe for adoption. One of the cases reportedly involved the implicit cooperation of government authorities.

Forced labor, human trafficking, slavery haunt us still

While there is universal consensus on the definition of forced labor (essentially work performed under compulsion and subject to a penalty), some of the forms it takes are still sources of policy debate. Among the most contentious issues are those involving compulsory participation of citizens in public works in the context of economic development, a practice which prevails in a number of Asian countries (including Vietnam) and African countries (Central African Republic, Sierra Leone and Tanzania).

US points to Nigerian trafficking¹

Victims are trafficked for domestic servitude, street hawking, agricultural labor, and sexual exploitation. Internationally, they are trafficked to the Central African Republic, Mali, Gabon, Sudan, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Austria. Women and children are also trafficked to Nigeria from Togo, Benin, Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Niger, and Ghana," the report also said.

Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free

Human Rights Overview by Human Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide

Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children - Sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography - Note by the Secretary-General

19. In the Central African Republic, the Special Rapporteur has received disconcerting information about the practice of families marrying their daughters as young as 11 or 12, for financial gain, to older husbands. The prevalence of such traditional practices, including the trokosi practice in Ghana, already mentioned in previous reports, is a matter of concern.

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Human Trafficking in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]
Street Children in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]