Human Trafficking in [ROC] [other countries]Street Children in [ROC] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [ROC] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the first ten years of the 21st
Century - 2000 to 2009
The Republic of the Congo (ROC) is
a source country for children trafficked within its borders for the purposes
of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation, as well as a destination
country for children trafficked from other African countries for the same
purposes. Within the ROC, boys and girls are trafficked from rural areas,
primarily from the Pool Region, to Point Noire and Brazzaville for forced
street vending and domestic servitude. Girls are trafficked from rural areas
primarily to Brazzaville, but also to Pointe Noire, for commercial sexual
exploitation. Transnationally, children are
trafficked from other African countries to Pointe Noire for domestic
servitude, forced market vending and forced labor in the fishing
industry. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in the Republic of the Congo
(ROC). Some of these links may lead to
websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even
false. No attempt has been made to
verify their authenticity or to validate their content. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/s-The+Situation+of+the+Pygmies+in+the+Republic+of+Congo?language=EN At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
The Rainforest Foundation is
urgently calling for justice, and recognition of the rights of the 'Pygmy'
people, with the release of a report exposing alarming human rights
violations suffered by 'Pygmies' in the Republic of Congo. Beatings, rape, 'slavery' and
discrimination were documented in the report based on investigations by our
partners, the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH). The report,
published by the Rainforest Foundation, reveals cases of collective rapes,
police brutality, and appalling health, housing and education systems. Very
few 'Pygmies' have basic civil rights and most lack national identity cards. ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S. Dept
of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs [PDF] INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children work with their
families on farms or in informal business activities.1122 In Brazzaville and other
urban centers, there are significant numbers of street children, primarily
from the neighboring Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – The law does not specifically
prohibit trafficking in persons, and there were unconfirmed reports of
trafficking of children by West African immigrants living in the country.
Trafficking could be prosecuted under existing laws against slavery,
prostitution, rape, illegal immigration, forced labor, and regulations
regarding employer employee relations; however, there were no known cases of
the government prosecuting any trafficker under these laws. The ministries of
security, labor, and social affairs, as well as the gendarmerie, have
responsibility for trafficking issues. There were unconfirmed reports
that the country was a country of destination for trafficked persons. It was
not known to be a country of transit or origin. There were unconfirmed
reports that minor relatives of immigrants from Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2006 [DOC] [79] While noting with appreciation the ratification by
the State party of relevant ILO Conventions, as well as the adoption of an appropriate
legislative framework, the Committee is concerned at the lack of data on the
issue of economic exploitation of children. The Committee is also concerned
at information according to which children, in particular indigenous
children, are exploited economically. Finally, the Committee is concerned at
reports that children, in particular from the Democratic Republic of Congo
and indigenous children, are recruited to clean sewers and latrines manually,
which is extremely hazardous to their health. [81] While welcoming the study on the sexual
exploitation of children which is being conducted with UNICEF’s support, the
Committee expresses concern at sexual harassment in schools. It is also
concerned at the fact that sexual exploitation of children is a widespread
practice. The Committee is also concerned at the fact that the Portella Law prohibiting the presence of children in bars
and night clubs is not enforced. [83] While noting that the State party has ratified the
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the
Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others on 25 August 1977, the Committee
is concerned at the absence of legislation prohibiting trafficking in
persons, particularly children. www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/s-The+Situation+of+the+Pygmies+in+the+Republic+of+Congo?language=EN At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
The Rainforest Foundation is
urgently calling for justice, and recognition of the rights of the 'Pygmy'
people, with the release of a report exposing alarming human rights violations
suffered by 'Pygmies' in the Republic of Congo. Beatings, rape, 'slavery' and
discrimination were documented in the report based on investigations by our
partners, the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH). The report,
published by the Rainforest Foundation, reveals cases of collective rapes,
police brutality, and appalling health, housing and education systems. Very
few 'Pygmies' have basic civil rights and most lack national identity cards. The
Situation of the Pygmies in the Republic of Congo [PDF] [pages 19
& 20] 4.4. WORKING CONDITIONS THAT RESEMBLE
MODERN SLAVERY – The
work the Pygmies carry out for the Bantu in Ngoua
II resembles forced labour. They put a great deal
of effort into what is hard and often badly paid work. A day's work on a
Bantu farm pays between 500 and 1,000 F.CFA, (50p to £1), according to the
employer's whim. No consideration is made of the effort made. On 30 June 2003, OCDH members
traveled with a Pygmy, Mr. Ingouma, who had been
requisitioned by a Bantu to carry a sack of groundnuts weighing over 80 kgs a distance of more than 50 kms
from Ngoua II. In return, the Bantu gave him a
bottle of palm wine valued at 250 F.CFA (25p). Like the Bantu, the Pygmies who
work at Man Fai Tai, the main logging company in
the area, confirm that they are treated 'like slaves' by the Malaysians who
run the company The Pygmies of Kabo
regularly incur debts with the Bantu. And, by lending them money, these Bantu
are creating the conditions that force the Pygmies into coming back for
another loan. The practice thus becomes entrenched and is, in fact, a form of
'debtslavery' for the salaried Pygmies. At the end
of the month, unable to read or write, they have to pay off amounts
established according to the word of their Bantu creditors. When they cannot
pay all their debts, these creditors take them to courts that issue orders to
stop and seize the debtor Pygmies' salaries. Republic
of Congo has nearly 2,000 children victims of human trafficking "We can affirm today that human trafficking targeting children exists indeed in The
Protection Project - Republic of the Congo (ROC) [DOC] FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE
TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - Poverty, a lack of education, a lack of opportunity, gender
inequality, and civil unrest are some of the major factors that contribute to
the trafficking infrastructure in the Republic of the FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Evidence suggests that hundreds
of children from the Republic of the Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 6 Civil
Liberties: 5 Status: Not
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RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking
& Modern-day Slavery – Congo ROC", http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Congo-ROC.htm,
[accessed <date>] |
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Human Trafficking in [ROC] [other countries]Street Children in [ROC] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [ROC] [other countries]