Human Trafficking in [Kiribati] [other countries]Street Children in [Kiribati] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Kiribati] [other countries]
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Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic
of Kiribati [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] Kiribati [map], consists of 33 scattered coral atolls with few natural resources. Located in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, it includes 8 of the 11 Line Islands, including Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island), as well as the Gilbert and Phoenix groups and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island). Its capital is Tarawa. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979, with copra and fish now representing the bulk of production and exports. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Scope and
Magnitude. International organizations and
NGOs expressed concerns that internal trafficking of underage girls for the purpose
of commercial sexual exploitation among crews of foreign and local fishing
vessels takes place in Kiribati. Hotels, bars, boat owners, and occasionally
family members, who provide or arrange transportation out to the fishing
vessels profit by facilitating child prostitution. Foreign fishing vessels
from Taiwan and Korea were highlighted as frequently taking young girls on
board for sexual exploitation. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report,
June, 2007 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Kiribati. 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. U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs [PDF] CHILD LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - Part IX, Section 84 of the
Employment Ordinance, Employment of Children and Other Young Persons, sets
the minimum age for employment at 14 years, and children under 16 years are
prohibited from industrial employment or jobs aboard ships. Although there is
no law specifically prohibiting the worst forms of child labor in Kiribati,
there are statutes under which the worst forms can be prosecuted. The
Constitution prohibits forced labor. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The law
does not prohibit trafficking in persons, but there were no reports that
persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country. The Protection Project - Kiribati [DOC] TRAFFICKING
ROUTES – Despite a lack of specific evidence on trafficking,
Kiribati is believed to be a transit country for trafficking in persons from
China en route to the Marshall Islands, Australia, Canada, and the United
States. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Kiribati] [other countries]Street Children in [Kiribati] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Kiribati] [other countries]