Human trafficking in Gabon

Gabon ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in September 2010.^[1]

Gabon is primarily a transit country for children from Benin, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries who are subjected to human trafficking, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution. Some victims transit through Gabon en route to exploitation in Equatorial Guinea. According to UNICEF, the majority of victims are boys who are forced to work as street hawkers or mechanics. Girls generally are subjected to conditions of involuntary domestic servitude, or forced labor in markets or roadside restaurants. Stepped-up coastal surveillance over the past year – especially following the October 2009 arrival in Gabonese waters of a sea vessel that was carrying 34 child trafficking victims, some of whom were destined for Equatorial Guinea – caused traffickers to change their routes, which included utilizing estuaries and rivers to transport children. The majority of victims in that incident were young girls, a departure from previous patterns of trafficking in the region. Trafficking offenders appear to operate in loose ethnic-based crime networks. Some child traffickers are women, who serve as intermediaries in their countries of origin.^[2] In some cases, child victims report that their parents had turned them over to intermediaries promising employment opportunities in Gabon. The government has no reports of international organized crime syndicates, employment agencies, marriage brokers, or travel services facilitating trafficking in Gabon. In 2009, the government began tracking a new trend of young adults between ages 18 and 25 being forced into domestic servitude or prostitution in Gabon.^[3]

In 2010, the Government of Gabon did not fully comply with what the U.S. government considers to be minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it made significant efforts to do so. Despite these efforts - most notably the arrests of seven suspected traffickers and the expansion of protection services for child victims of trafficking - the government did not show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking. Specifically, the government, for another consecutive year, did not provide information on prosecutions or convictions of traffickers, despite the arrest of over 30 suspected offenders between 2003 and 2008.^[3] Because of this, Gabon was placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year.

La Oficina para Monitorear y Combatir la Trata de Personas del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. colocó al país en la "Lista de Vigilancia de Nivel 2" en 2017 ^{[ 4 ]} y 2023. ^{[ 5 ]}

En 2023, el Índice de Delincuencia Organizada registró un aumento en el tráfico de bebés recién nacidos en el país. ^{[ 6 ]}

El Gobierno de Gabón ha demostrado un progreso limitado en la aplicación de la ley contra la trata de personas. Gabón cuenta con varias leyes relativas a las distintas formas de trata de personas. La Ley 09/04 , promulgada en septiembre de 2004, se utiliza para proteger a los niños contra la trata sexual o laboral en Gabón. La ley establece penas de prisión de 5 a 15 años, junto con multas de 20.000 a 40.000 dólares. La captación de un menor con fines de prostitución está prohibida por el artículo 261 del Código Penal, que establece penas de prisión de 2 a 5 años y una multa. La prostitución forzada de adultos está prohibida por la Ley 21/63-94 , que establece penas de prisión de 2 a 10 años. Durante 2010, el gobierno informó de siete detenciones por trata, pero no proporcionó detalles de los casos. El gobierno tampoco informó de ningún procesamiento o condena por trata durante ese año. En febrero de 2010, tres presuntos traficantes fueron arrestados en la frontera cuando intentaban introducir a 18 jóvenes de Camerún, Malí, Burkina Faso y Guinea en Gabón. Los sospechosos permanecen encarcelados mientras continúa la investigación. Dado que el Tribunal Penal mantenía su calendario con una sola sesión anual, de una semana de duración, los presuntos traficantes solían esperar en prisión preventiva y se les computaba el tiempo ya cumplido. ^{[ 3 ]}

El Gobierno de Gabón demostró avances en sus esfuerzos por garantizar que las víctimas de trata recibieran acceso a los servicios de protección necesarios. El personal gubernamental implementó procedimientos para identificar a las víctimas de trata entre grupos vulnerables, como los niños migrantes, y las derivó sistemáticamente a albergues gubernamentales o de ONG . Al responder a la presencia de un buque en aguas gabonesas, las autoridades identificaron a los 34 niños a bordo (entre otros 285) como víctimas de trata y tomaron medidas para brindarles asistencia. El gobierno coordinó la repatriación de las víctimas del buque a sus países de origen con los gobiernos correspondientes. ^{[ 3 ]}

In direct support of victim protection measures, the government spent approximately $270,000 to support three centers offering foster care to child victims of trafficking in Libreville and Port-Gentil. One of the centers is completely government-funded, while the other two are financed partly by the government through material donations and social worker access, and partly through others. These centers provided shelter, medical care, education, and rehabilitation services, as well as psychosocial services to educate victims on asserting their rights. The government provided temporary de facto resident status for trafficking victims, and refrained from deporting them. The government also began rehabilitation of two more centers, and opened more child protection centers in Franceville, Moanda and Tchibanga. The government also opened six centers for street children and the Ministry of Interior operated two transit centers for illegal immigrants - an alternative to jail.^[3]

The Gabonese government made some efforts to prevent human trafficking during 2010. In 2009, as the first step in its effort to improve targeting of its prevention messages, it surveyed 2,500 residents to examine the public's understanding of violence against children, including trafficking. In accordance with the survey findings, an outreach campaign aimed at identifying child victims of violence will begin. In his effort to increase awareness, the country's President raised the topic of trafficking in Council of Ministers meetings. Also in 2009, the government monitored migration patterns for evidence of trafficking to Gabon. The government stepped up its efforts to enhance maritime security through aerial surveillance. An inter-Ministerial Committee to Combat Child Trafficking was created by Law 09/04. The inter-ministerial committee published and distributed leaflets and posters entitled “STOP child exploitation” to highlight forms and consequences of trafficking and its hotline number. Heavy government press coverage of anti-trafficking training sponsored by a foreign government helped raise awareness of victim identification and law enforcement responses. The government did not take action during 2010 to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. However, the commercial sex trade is not a widespread problem in Gabon.^[3]