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

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the first ten years of the 21st Century  -  2000 to 2009

Republic of Guinea

Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves. The mining sector accounts for more than 70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political uncertainty because of the death of President Lansana CONTE in December 2008.

The Guinea franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans. Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes in February and June 2006.  [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Guinea.  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.

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Pressure to Combat Child Prostitution in Guinea

CPTAFE leaders said they would target Conakry's suburbs of Coleah, Ratoma and the port area, which are often invaded by a horde of teenage girls and boys at nightfall. Their clients usually spirit them away, far from prying eyes, in vehicles. Aissatou Diallo, an occasional seamstress, says she has resorted to prostitution because she has no other choice. "No one is helping me. I'm obliged to do this work in order to meet my needs and those of my family. My father is dead and my mother is ill," says the 13-year-old sex worker.

 

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

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children are reported to work in the commercial sex industry. Guinea is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons, including children, for sexual exploitation and labor. While there are reports of trafficking in children from neighboring countries, including Mali, there is no available information on the extent of the problem. Internal trafficking occurs from rural to urban areas

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

CHILDREN - The International Rescue Committee and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that children living in foster families often did not receive adequate food, shelter, and clothing and were compelled to work in the streets, sometimes as prostitutes, for their subsistence.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS - Girls under the age of 14 were involved in prostitution. The government did not take action when prostitution of minors was brought to its attention, and it did not actively monitor child or adult prostitution.

Concluding Observations Of The Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) - 1999

[34] The Committee is concerned at the absence of data and of a comprehensive study on the issue of sexual exploitation of children.

[35] The Committee is concerned at the increasing phenomenon of trafficking and sale of children into neighboring countries for work or prostitution. The insufficient measures to prevent and combat this phenomenon are also a matter of concern.

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/publication/other/english/Doc_page/ecpat_5th_a4a_2001_full.doc

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – GUINEA – According to a recent BBC report, a trafficking ring involving teenage girls was dismantled in July. The report says 30 young girls with illegally obtained Guinean passports were rescued by Guinean police. They were due to be smuggled to Europe, probably to Spain and Italy, and were potential CSEC victims. The girls were reported to have been brought to Guinea via Mali to obtain false passports and were then to be taken back to Mali from where they were to make their way to Europe.

Pressure to Combat Child Prostitution in Guinea

CPTAFE leaders said they would target Conakry's suburbs of Coleah, Ratoma and the port area, which are often invaded by a horde of teenage girls and boys at nightfall. Their clients usually spirit them away, far from prying eyes, in vehicles. Aissatou Diallo, an occasional seamstress, says she has resorted to prostitution because she has no other choice. "No one is helping me. I'm obliged to do this work in order to meet my needs and those of my family. My father is dead and my mother is ill," says the 13-year-old sex worker.

Guinea: A Window On West Africa’s War-Weary Children

UNICEF today said that reports from border monitors and NGOs reveal that Guinea is becoming a burgeoning refuge for thousands of children fleeing West Africa’s wars. Children fleeing recruitment, violence, and exploitation; crisscrossing borders; beginning as unaccompanied children in one place, becoming child soldiers in another, and refugee minors in a third. There’s an opportunity to break the cycle that sees these children return to the bondage of war, servitude, and sexual exploitation in neighboring countries.

ECPAT:  CSEC Overview - Guinea

www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/Country/CSECOverview/Guinea.html

There is lack of sufficient evidence and data on CSEC in Guinea but it is acknowledged that the problem exists and is on the rise. This is because of urbanization, poverty and the recent instability in the country.

Protection Project:  Guinea [DOC]

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES - The government of Guinea approved a National Plan of Action in support of protection of Guinean children. In addition, the government established the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Promotion of Women and Children; the Committee for Monitoring, Protection, and Defense of the Rights of Children; and the Committee on Equity between Girls and Boys in Schooling to prevent child commercial sexual exploitation. However, no information is available about how effective these bodies are in carrying out their mandate.

Not Giving Way to Despair

THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS - Leaders of religious groups and of NGOs have embarked on an all-out war against child prostitution - increasing all the time. In spite of promises made by the government to do something about it, nothing has happened. Poverty forces children into prostitution and concerned people are now making their voices heard. Pedophiles are subject to the full weight of the law and a number of NGOs have decided to take action against "sex tourism". But many say not enough is being done to stamp out this evil and to help the children. The ordinary citizen believes the police need to be better informed so as to catch the clients of child prostitutes. Civil society is adamant that financial interests, corruption and the indifference of certain policemen hamper the fight against child prostitution in Guinea.

Forgotten Children of War  -  Sierra Leonean Refugee Children in Guinea

SUMMARY - Human Rights Watch also identified a serious problem of child prostitution in the camps, where girls as young as twelve said that they feel compelled to "play sex for money" in order to support themselves and, in some cases, their families. As with the problem of sexual violence, very little has been done by UNHCR to understand the problem of child prostitution in the camps in Guinea or to prevent it.

Reports That Child Refugees Sexually Exploited Shock Annan

Refugee children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation, reportedly by employees of national and international NGOs, UNHCR and other UN bodies, fellow refugees, security forces of host countries and other persons, according to a joint assessment by UNHCR and Save the Children-UK. The exchange of sex for money or gifts appeared widespread. The victims were mostly girls aged 13 to 18, while the most vulnerable group comprised orphans and children separated from one or both parents. The perpetrators "are often men in positions of relative power and influence who either control access to goods and services or who have wealth and/or income." - htcp

The Experience of Refugee Children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/UNID/6010F9ED3C651C93C1256B6D00560FCA?OpenDocument

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

This assessment was initiated by UNHCR and Save the Children-UK (SC-UK) due to growing concerns, based on their field experience, about the nature and extent of sexual violence and exploitation of refugee children and other children of concern to UNHCR 1 in the countries of the Mano River Sub Region in West Africa. - htcp

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