Human Trafficking in [Gabon] [other countries]Street Children in [Gabon Child Prostitution in [Gabon] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the first
ten years of the 21st Century -
2000 to 2009
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CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Information about Street Children - Gabon [DOC] www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Information%20about%20Street%20Children%20in%20Gabon.doc DEFINITIONS AND STATISTICS - In Gabon, we define street
children quite simply as those who have chosen to leave their family /
household and make their own way in the street. However, the distinction
between children of the street and children on the street is still used by
many organisations. Most of the street children are
concentrated in Libreville and are boys between the ages of 6 and 17 who have
abandoned both family life and their schooling. Numbers are small however –
only 150 street children were recorded by Caritas during 2002-03. 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 - 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. War is Boring:
U.S. Navy Renders Aid to Gabonese Trafficking Victims www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3638 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 english.people.com.cn/200705/22/eng20070522_376627.html 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] www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Information%20about%20Street%20Children%20in%20Gabon.doc DEFINITIONS AND STATISTICS - In Gabon, we define street
children quite simply as those who have chosen to leave their family /
household and make their own way in the street. However, the distinction
between children of the street and children on the street is still used by
many organisations. Most of the street children are
concentrated in Libreville and are boys between the ages of 6 and 17 who have
abandoned both family life and their schooling. Numbers are small however –
only 150 street children were recorded by Caritas during 2002-03. 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 www.hri.ca/fortherecord2002/vol2/gabontb.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] 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. The Protection Project - Gabon [DOC] 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]