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Cameroon |
CHILDREN
International agreements and a multitude of laws forbid the employment
of children under fifteen years of age.
However, most of those working
in the informal sector are children...
We came across young Touka in front of Yaounde’s post office on 9 July this year. He presented a sorry picture wearing worn-out sandals, torn trousers, a pan of roasted groundnuts on his head, and holding bits of paper for wrapping the groundnuts in one hand.
Questioned as to his working conditions, the young salesman condemned the petty meanness of some of his so-called customers. He said: «People taste my groundnuts without buying any. Others take some on credit and never pay». Touka is only eight years old. His father has a number of wives. He lives in Mvog-Ada, an over-crowded district of Yaounde. Touka doesn’t sell groundnuts only during the school holidays. During term-time he dashes out after classes (he goes to the local school of Nkolndongo-Mbida) and plies his trade. «We’ve only got classes for half a day», he says, «so when I’ve got lessons in the morning, I sell groundnuts in the afternoon». Truth to say, Touka doesn’t get much by way of an education.
A bit further on, we saw young Hamed in front of the National Insurance Company premises. He told us: «I’m seven years old. I go with mother in the morning and the evening to sell porridge. Afterwards, my job is to collect up the mugs». His mother chipped in: «You see, once they’ve finished their porridge, the street vendors just chuck the mugs anywhere, but Hamed knows where and how to recover them. My customers are all his friends».
We could go on and on with similar examples. Mr. Ella Menye, in charge of family and child welfare at the Ministry for Social Affairs, explains what’s happening: «Child labour on this scale is a recent occurrence in Cameroon. It’s mainly found in the informal sector of business, ever since the onslaught of the economic crisis.»
Exploitation
There’s a whole host of possibilities open to everyone in the informal sector of commerce. Anyone recently unemployed can set up «shop» with other members of his family — especially his children. Children have proved to be good at selling and know how to manage money. Talla and Bakop are two such people. They manage a well-stocked shop in the Emombo district of Yaounde. Their uncle (who is also the owner) sings their praises: «They’re young and know how to sell the merchandise. They’re more interested in selling goods than running after girls, and that’s a good thing! So, they keep their noses to the grindstone».
As yet, Cameroon’s government hasn’t undertaken any in-depth study as to the extent of the child labour problem. The government, however, refers to a brochure written by Mr. Kégné Fodouop. He says that in 1991, 10% of Cameroonians less than fifteen years old, were working in 121 small businesses, and that 90% of children in domestic service (anything from 17 years of age upwards) were placed in such employment by their family. In its Report for the Year 2000 on the Situation of Children in the World, UNICEF classified Cameroon among those countries where the situation of children is particularly alarming. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) reveals in an investigation published some time ago, that three million children are classified as child workers in Cameroon.
All this is a sad reality, explained by the combined effects of the economic crisis, weakening of family bonds and the consequent distress which throws children onto the streets where they are exposed to the worst forms of exploitation —prostitution, child trafficking and especially drugs which, according to estimates published by Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, effects 60% of those less than 25 years old. Marie Madeleine Fouda, Minister for Social Affairs, specifies that according to conclusions of a study recently undertaken in Cameroon by the ILO and its associates, of 610,209 working children, 531,591 have been brought in from other countries.
Child trafficking
The ILO and UNICEF regard child trafficking in view of eventual child labour, as a practice similar to slavery —nothing short of forced work. According to Article 1/D of the Convention For the Abolition of Slavery, practices very similar to slavery are defined as being: «Any institution or practice in virtue of which a child or teenager less than 18 years old, is given, either by his/her parents or one of them, or by his/her guardian, to a third person, against payment or not, for the exploitation of the child/ teenager or for work of the said child/adolescent».
In Cameroon, we know the regions where children are frequently exploited. The area most cited is the north-west where, according to the newspaper, Mutations in its issue number 375: «Children are openly sold with the full knowledge of certain well-known personalities who are keeping complete silence over what’s going on». The Nouvelle Expression in its issue number 704 gives further information: «The provinces of the north-west and the south-west are places where you can get hold of young girls for domestic work. These girls are between thirteen and eighteen years old».
Such cases were highlighted during the 22-24 February 2000 Libreville Conference, organized by UNICEF in cooperation with the ILO, on the theme: How To Fight Against Child Trafficking. Also, during the Cotonou Workshop, organized by the ILO and the International Programme for Eliminating Child Labour.
Child-trafficking in Cameroon is characterized by the presence of «go-betweens», i.e. people who «place» the child-victims. Sometimes organised in a mafia-style network, these «go-betweens» are mostly men — 60% are nationals of the countries where the children come from. They criss-cross rural areas to recruit the children, first of all contacting parents. But very often the children themselves get in touch with the «go-betweens» who’ve got secret locations for finalising the deal. Reasons given for this commerce in children (given either by the «go-betweens», by the parents or by the children themselves), vary from: To get employment; to receive some kind of education/training; to support the family; or one day, to become a professional footballer in a foreign team.
On behalf of the ILO, Nathalie Feujio has investigated the whole question of the transaction made when recruiting child-workers. It seems the «go-betweens» receive two remunerations — a commission for services rendered and to pay for the transport charges of those recruited. Children who’ve been «sold» in the islands of the south-west and who are bound for Cameroon, will earn about 100,000 CFA francs (1000 CFAF = 0,15EU) for the «go-between». In Cameroon, «go-betweens» receive 1,000,000 CFA francs per Cameroonian child «exported» to western countries.
When it comes to actually moving the children, receiving areas within Cameroon in order of importance, are Douala and Yaounde. When children are sent to Cameroon from other countries, these country-providers are, in order of importance, Nigeria, Benin, Chad, Congo, the Central African Republic, Togo and Mali. France, Denmark and Australia are the principal receiving countries for children coming from Cameroon.
According to the same ILO inquiry, within Cameroon, victims of child-trafficking are mainly used in the informal sector of business. They work mainly in the following trades: Servants – 31%; street vendors – 19.8%; unskilled workers – 9.4%; waiters in bars or cafes – 7%; prostitution – 7%; night watchmen – 3.3%; others – 16.5%. Because so many different people are involved in drug-trafficking, we haven’t been able to get hold of any facts and figures covering this area, but generally it goes hand-in-hand with prostitution.
Very often, the children have to work throughout the day; they don’t get any holidays or a free day when they can be — just children. They are said to be satisfied with whatever remuneration is given them (and that’s not much), when it is given! According to some, the children are called upon to do anything and everything and to work all hours. All this undermines the child’s development. Such children are prematurely thrown into the company of adults who frequently influence them into becoming juvenile delinquents. What are the authorities doing about it? Are they waiting for the problem to become insoluble? The official angle is: «The Ministries for Social Affairs and Work have just drawn up a national action plan to control child-labour». The idea is to protect street children and to enable them to return to their families.
On an international level, Cameroon has ratified the UN International Convention on the Rights of the Child. But this Convention is unknown in the informal sector. Many think that the solution is to be found: By applying the ILO agreements on the minimum age for work; by prohibiting the worst forms of child-labour; by taking immediate action to eliminate both these evils.
Mukama Nicolas is a member of the non-governmental organisation, «Youth Horizon». He puts the whole problem of child-labour and child trafficking this way: «Everything points to the fact that parents seem to count on their children in order to survive. It’s all part and parcel of what’s happening today — increasing poverty and the collapse of society’s traditional solidarity. Much remains to be done to make people aware of the problem and to educate them into a change of mentality».
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