GABON: 2009 TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS LIBREVILLE 000508 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KTIP KWMN KCRM SMIG GB SUBJECT: GABON: 2009 TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT REF: A. STATE 112432 ¶B. LIBREVILLE 00486 ¶1. Summary: Post provides the following response keyed to questions in ref A. Gabon's new government has demonstrated an energized commitment to combating trafficking in persons. During the reporting period (February-November),the deaths of Gabon's First Lady Edith Bongo in March and President Omar Bongo in June plunged the country into political and economic uncertainty. In addition, civil servant strikes paralyzed government business throughout the year. President Ali Bongo Ondimba, inaugurated on October 16, is setting a new course for Gabon, including emphasizing his commitment to combat trafficking in persons in one of his first Council of Ministers meetings. Bongo's commitment has translated into the government's exemplary response after intercepting three vessels carrying illegal migrants and trafficked children in October and November (ref B). End Summary. ¶2. Gabon's efforts to prosecute trafficking offenses and convict and punish traffickers continue, but remain slow, partially due to this year's strikes and partially due to the slowness of the judicial system. International organizations such as UNICEF and the International Red Cross are praising the government's cooperation with sending countries to punish traffickers. In particular, Gabon and Benin are working together to uncover the network of traffickers bringing victims to Gabon (ref B). Gabonese authorities also are questioning the intended recipients of children as household help using information from the victims. Many of the children on the ship that arrived from Benin on October 18 had been given addresses and telephone numbers of their new employers. Currently, police are following up on this information. Working with Beninese authorities, the captain of the vessel was sent back to Benin and arrested. ¶3. President Bongo requested and received a report from the Minister of Interior on the situation of the trafficked children during the November 6 Council of Ministers meeting. He reaffirmed Gabon's commitment to do more to fight trafficking in persons and to work more closely with the governments in the countries of origin. On November 8, two officials from Benin's Ministry of Family and Social Affairs arrived with UNICEF's Benin country director to work on the repatriation of the Beninese children and identification of their traffickers. ¶4. Drafting and enacting legislation prohibiting the trafficking of adults has not been a high priority given that the judiciary has the tools it needs in the penal code to punish traffickers in cases involving adults. ¶5. According to UNICEF, there have not been any recent reports of government complicity in trafficking. ¶6. The Government developed and published its National Procedural Manual for Assisting Trafficking Victims in 2009. In addition to the Interministerial Committee to Combat Trafficking and the Trafficking Hotline Focal Point, the Government established Monitoring Committees in each region led by the Governor, the Provisional Director for Labor Issues, and the Government Prosecutor. Each committee also includes the military, gendarmerie, police, mayors, neighborhood chiefs, and local representatives of non-governmental organizations, religious groups, and youth groups. These committees are responsible for identifying at-risk children. Our contacts state that most young girls are trafficked to serve as domestic help or work in the markets. Government authorities have found only a few cases of sexual abuse and prostitution among young girls. Embassy contacts confirmed that prostitution among TIP victims is not a major problem in Gabon. ¶7. UNICEF and the International Red Cross confirm that the Government does not put trafficking victims in jail. All potential victims are sent to a Government welcome center, where they are questioned and receive food, shelter, and medical attention. Children are separated and taken to a government-run center or placed at a non-governmental center. The conditions in these centers are good, according to the International Red Cross. ¶8. Government officials are surprised when we raise the issue of forced labor of pygmies. They are not aware of forced labor problems concerning pygmies. We have also discussed the issue with UNICEF and a local Pygmy association. Both organizations said that they are unaware of any forced labor issues surrounding the Pygmies, but discrimination continues to be a problem. Post continues to seek information on this issue. REDDICK