Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]Street Children in [Gabon Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the early
years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/streetchildren/Gabon.htm
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FEATURED ARTICLE *** Information about Street Children - Gabon [DOC] www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Information%20about%20Street%20Children%20in%20Gabon.doc [Last access date unavailable] DEFINITIONS AND STATISTICS - In TESTIMONY FROM A STREET CHILD IN
GABON - I have been
on the streets since 1997. My father was cruel to me – he would hit me and
never let me leave the house, and this lack of freedom is why I left home…
The older children in the street often bully the younger ones and steal our
money. The police also harass and beat us, particularly when someone has
reported a theft or when they catch us smoking marijuana. They often put us
in prison cells where we are kept for 2 days and sometimes longer. Many
children contract diseases such as scabies and sometimes malaria inside the
dirty cells, but when we are released, we face further verbal abuse from the
public. ***
ARCHIVES *** UNICEF – www.unicef.org/infobycountry/gabon.html [accessed 16 May 2011] The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms
of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/gabon.htm [accessed 6 February 2011] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - According to the government, over 40 percent of students drop out
before they complete the last year of primary school. CHILD
LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - Minimum age laws were strictly enforced in urban areas among citizen
children, but rarely enforced in rural areas.
While the Labor Code is intended to cover all children, in practice it
is enforced only in situations involving Gabonese children, and not those who
are foreign-born, many of whom work in domestic service or in marketplaces. Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61570.htm [accessed 6 February 2011] CHILDREN - The government publicly expressed
its commitment to youth, provided 4 thousand academic scholarships during the
year, and used oil revenues to build schools, pay teacher salaries, and
promote education, even in rural areas. Nonetheless, the upkeep of schools
and payment of teachers continued to decline. Education is compulsory until
age 16 and generally was available through sixth grade. Approximately 78
percent of primary school-age children attended school, and less than half of
secondary school‑age children attended school. Secondary school
attendance rates for immigrant children were lower, although public schools
accepted immigrant children, and the government encouraged them to attend.
Students were required to pay for books, uniforms, and other school supplies,
which precluded numerous children from attending school. SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
An unknown number of children‑‑primarily foreign‑‑worked
in marketplaces or performed domestic duties; many of these children were
reportedly the victims of child trafficking. Such children generally did not
attend school, received only limited medical attention, and often were
exploited by employers or foster families. Laws forbidding child labor
theoretically extended protection to these children, but abuses often were
not reported. A 2001 ILO study estimated that the number of economically
active children between the ages of 10 and 14 years was 19 thousand to 20
thousand, but the actual number was probably considerably higher since most
children worked in the informal sector. Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 February 2002 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/gabon2002.html [accessed 6 February 2011] [62] The Committee expresses its
concerns at the increasing number of street children and at the lack of
specific mechanisms and measures to address this situation and to provide
those children with adequate assistance. War is Boring: David Axe, World Politics Review, [partially accessed 6 February 2011 - access restricted] It's a crisis that intersects with
another. Across Africa, but especially in the central part of the continent, boys
are sold, coerced or kidnapped into military service in both government and
rebel armies. Many of these child soldiers also flee their captors,
especially during combat, and end up homeless on the streets of major cities,
where aid groups struggle to find and care for them. Children represent a major commodity in a
dark economy of violence and exploitation that is perhaps most prominent in
West and Central Africa. Escudero described Gabon as an importer of child slaves,
"either for cheap manual labor or to work in people's homes or
factories. Often these kids win up on streets, if they've been abused at home
or mistreated where they're working." Gabonese students found NGO to cater for street children Xinhua News Agency, May 22, 2007 english.people.com.cn/200705/22/eng20070522_376627.html [accessed 16 May 2011] Gabonese primary and secondary
school students have launched a non-governmental organization, the Movement
of the Young People for Social Welfare (MJBES) to primarily cater for street
children, their education but more so their reintegration into the society,
the local press reported Sunday. In Gabon, the number of street
children has reached worrying proportions. Very early in the morning, one can
meet street children milling around the large markets where they generally
spend the night. During the day, they beg in front of department stores and
at bus stops. Information about Street Children - www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Information%20about%20Street%20Children%20in%20Gabon.doc [Last access date unavailable] DEFINITIONS AND STATISTICS - In TESTIMONY FROM A STREET CHILD IN
GABON - I have been
on the streets since 1997. My father was cruel to me – he would hit me and
never let me leave the house, and this lack of freedom is why I left home…
The older children in the street often bully the younger ones and steal our
money. The police also harass and beat us, particularly when someone has
reported a theft or when they catch us smoking marijuana. They often put us
in prison cells where we are kept for 2 days and sometimes longer. Many
children contract diseases such as scabies and sometimes malaria inside the
dirty cells, but when we are released, we face further verbal abuse from the
public. Reports to Treaty Bodies - Committee on the Rights of the
Child UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, January/February
2002 session At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 16 May 2011] The Committee recommended that the
government ensure that street children are provided with adequate nutrition,
clothing, housing, health care and educational opportunities in support of
their full development; ensure that these children are provided with recovery
and reintegration services when victims of physical, sexual and substance
abuse; ensure their protection against police brutality; provide services for
reconciliation with their families and community; establish a comprehensive
strategy to address the high and increasing number of street children with
the aim of preventing and reducing this phenomenon. Youth Is
More Afraid Of Unemployment Than AIDS UN Integrated Regional Information Networks IRIN PlusNews www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=48625 [accessed 16 May 2011] A survey of 15 to 26 year-olds
showed that unemployment was their main concern in life, with catching AIDS
in second place and poverty in third.
Meanwhile the state is faced with the challenge of looking after an
estimated 9,000 orphans of people who have died from AIDS. Government policy is to encourage extended
families to take these children under their wing. The Protection Project - The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon.doc [accessed 2009] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Children are trafficked
primarily for domestic labor, as well as for
work as street and market vendors. The majority of children trafficked
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Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]Street Children in [Gabon Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries]