Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]
Street Children in [Gabon] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Gabonese Republic (Gabon) [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Gabonese Republic [map], located in W central Africa, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (W), by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon (N), and by Congo (Brazzaville) (E & S). Libreville (the capital) and Port-Gentil, both seaports, are the only large cities. The participation of Gabon in the UNICEF Child Rights Committee has led to a better acceptance of the importance of adopting policies in line with human and child rights principles and has created a favorable environment for child rights advocacy.

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

National Plan of Action

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

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - A social practice known as “placement” is also reported to be a problem.  According to tradition, poor families send their children to more affluent homes where the children receive an education in exchange for performing various services for their host families.  However, the practice has degenerated, and placed children are allegedly trafficked or subjected to commercial sexual exploitation.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2002

[64] The Committee is concerned about the increasing number of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution and pornography. Concern is also expressed at the insufficient programs for the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims of such abuse and exploitation.

ECPAT: CSEC Overview - Country Report

Little information is available specifically on the state of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Gabon. However, it is reported that trafficking in children for child labor in the West and Central African region is a significant problem. Children are trafficked to Gabon mainly for domestic labor where they are exposed to sexual abuse and some get caught up in the circle of prostitution when they escape from their employer and have nowhere to go, and no means of earning a living.

The Protection Project - Gabon [DOC]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - In addition, children from Nigeria may be trafficked to Gabon for prostitution  and menial labor.  Some of the Togolese girls initially trafficked to Gabon as housemaids are driven into prostitution there if they manage to escape from domestic servitude.

ECPAT:  CSEC in West Africa

CONFRONTING THE PROBLEM - Increasingly governments are willing to acknowledge that CSEC is a growing problem within their borders, as well as the region, and are making efforts to combat it. The Togolese government, for example, has developed a national action plan on child trafficking and child abuse. The Department for the Protection and Promotion of the Family and of Children has been carrying out education and sensitization campaigns against sexual exploitation and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. In addition, it has been cooperating with governments of neighboring countries, particularly Gabon, to remedy the situation.

New Global Treaty to Combat "Sex Slavery" of Women and Girls

CHILDREN SOLD OR KIDNAPPED - Child victims are easy to come by. In some regions, parents sell their children to traffickers for ready cash. Or traffickers simply kidnap them. Kidnapping is especially common in orphanages, where children's photographs are taken so that future "owners" can choose the child they want. According to Anti-Slavery International, children aged 8 to 15 years are "recruited" or kidnapped from backward villages of the poorest countries in Africa, such as Benin or Togo, and sold as slaves to households, plantations or brothels in neighboring countries, including Nigeria and Gabon.

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Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]
Street Children in [Gabon] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries]