Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]Street Children in [Gabon Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children 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). |
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accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
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Gender, Country ( UNICEF - The Big Picture U.S. Dept
of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs 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. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 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) - 2002 [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. Gabonese
students found NGO to cater for street children 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 - Gabon [DOC] Most of the street children are
concentrated in Reports to Treaty Bodies - Committee on the Rights of the Child 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 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. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]Street Children in [Gabon Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries]