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African countries intensify their cooperation in the struggle against exploitation of children
During a sub-regional consultation on cross-border traffic in children held in Libreville, Gabon, West and Central African states gave an undertaking to intensify their cooperation in the struggle against the exploitation of children. The participants adopted a draft convention against this traffic, and aims by 2004 also to repatriate and resettle them in their country of origin.
The consultation, which was held between 13 and 15 March 2002, in spite of the many and complex issues raised, resulted for the first time, in a firm undertaking by the participants. From the outset Mrs Rima Salah, UNICEF‘s Director for West and Central Africa, wanted to point out that «to fight efficaciously against the traffic in children, we have to understand the profound reasons for it and show that poverty is one of them». She stressed that: «This traffic has various forms, in urban areas (street sellers and domestic service), in rural areas (agricultural work and often seasonal work in plantations). To counter this scourge the approach adopted by UNICEF is based on the principles defined by the Convention on the rights of children, and singles out among other things, a public awareness campaign, promotion of education and the provision of medical and psychological services for children who have been traumatised by their experiences».
Gabon accused
«Gabon, which is a particular offender in this traffic, is ill-advisably at the centre of this debate» admitted Mr Didjob Divungi, Gabon’s Vice-President. UNICEF had already hosted a regional consultation in Libreville in February 2000, on «Development of Strategies to Combat Traffic in Children for Exploitative Work in West and Central Africa». However, at the conclusion of this meeting no concrete measures were taken.
«Many thousands of children from West Africa work in Gabon for guardians who are relatives only in name» claimed Anaclé Bissielo, an advisor of UNICEF in Libreville. The exploitation of children, lost for many years on the streets of Libreville and other African capital cities, continues in spite of the arsenal of laws passed by governments to deal severely with the traffic of immigrant children. The new preventative measures put in place to protect these children, include punishment by the courts of persons who ill-treat immigrant children, and the repatriation of minors who have been the victims of abuse. On the other hand, those responsible for exploiting children are liable to fines of between 762.25 and 4,580 euros as well as sentences from several months to years of imprisonment.
The government recently set up a commission to propose a plan of action to eradicate the traffic in children in supplier, transit and host countries. In the latest count, there are some 25,000 exploited children in Gabon, of whom half come from Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Aged between 8 and 15 years the children are employed in domestic work or as street peddlers of various products. According to surveys conducted by the social services of the city of Libreville, the exploitation of children is very widespread, as is evidenced by their woeful living conditions. “Generally these children are bought in their country of origin and sold to new masters for as much as 770 euros», reports Virginie Bouka, a social worker. «When some try to escape, they are severely beaten and their lives becomes even worse. They rarely get any money». The Gabon Human Rights League, several times in 1993, alerted the authorities about the exploitation of children.
Before the passing of the new laws, the traffickers and those who mistreated children, went virtuously unpunished. «We intercept the canoes of the illegal immigrants, and the passengers are taken to the police barracks waiting for a decision by the authorities.» explains a police officer, who asks to remain anonymous. «But the smugglers then intervene to free the detainees by offering a bribe; the embassies rarely do anything about their nationals in preventative detention.»
The situation has existed in Gabon for about 30 years, but the authorities did nothing about it, even though they were aware of the traffic in children from West Africa by families who acted as intermediaries. The minister of foreign affairs, Jean Ping, who has taken stock of the clandestine immigration of children, declared: «This scourge violates the laws of our country on school attendance, social and legal protection, on work and immigration». The renewed awareness by the Gabon government of this matter, is welcomed by the defenders of the rights of children, but no amount of sanctions has been able to stop this «shameful practice» on Gabonese territory.
The children enrich their relatives
Cheap child labour is an object of international traffic. According to studies conducted by UNICEF, some countries are «providers» of children: Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali. Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea serve as «transit areas». The «receiving» countries which employ them as domestic servants or street vendors, are Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and Nigeria. The exploitation of children is a lucrative activity which yields considerable profit for the «relatives», far above the minimum wage when several children in one household are let loose on the streets. The children receive very little money in return for their services. «Many thousands of children from West Africa work in Gabon for guardians who are relatives only in name. Public opinion is beginning to learn about this traffic in children and its extent», according to Anaclé Bissielo.
«I sell boiled and dried peanuts at 15 euro cents a paper bag, and I gain between 6 and 10 euros a day when things are going well», says Ablavi, a little Togolese girl who is no older than 10 years. Asked about her conditions of work and her home life she says: «I leave the house around seven in the morning and I return at 5.30, sooner if I have sold everything. Everything is accounted for when I place my bowl on my head. My relatives scold me when some of the merchandise is missing, but we are sometimes chased by the police who empty the contents of our bowls on the street. At home, it is difficult to explain how this has happened», explains Marietou whose face is still that of a child. Another street hawker, aged 14, appears not to complain about her living conditions: «I sell well and my guardians are not too nasty to me. But they are worried when I am sick». Commerce provides a livelihood for the child beaters.
According to the Director General of Price Control, the guardians or child beaters could amass between 150 and 300 Euros per child per month, according to the «merchandise» sold, the turnover and the place where the selling is done. We interviewed the neighbours of a family which exploits seven minors (the guardian did not want to answer our questions). They asserted that the little girls had a tough time and that they were often beaten. «The standard of living of our neighbour has changed a lot in two years and they cannot resist vaunting their affluence. The adoptive father has a full time job and his wife “manages” the little girls who sell snacks during the whole day, even on Sundays», explains Emilienne Mbourou.
Some Benin families, living in Gabon since the seventies, have no qualms about living exclusively from the exploitation of these children. Compared to what they spend to clothe and feed the children they exploit, the profits are considerable, in spite of the economic crisis which prevails in Gabon. «The little girls sell food and people still consume it every day. It even happens that the girls enter government offices to sell their merchandise. This commerce is almost legalised», observes Palette Ndjimbi, a secretary in one of the ministries.
A sociological survey
At the request of Anaclé Bissielo of the UNICEF desk in Libreville, a sociological survey was made of more than 300 children victims of the traffic in the foreign communities, particularly those from Benin and Togo. It confirmed that this phenomenon has existed in Gabon for five years and identified six networks. West African guardians, who generally have a legal and profitable position in private businesses and consequently have a salary, to which is added the fruits of the work of slave children under their roof. «All told, their income is greater than that of some grades of civil servant, while Gabon families live on less than 77 euros a month», says Aboghe. The wages of the children is paid either to their guardians or sent to their families of origin, according to the nature of the contract (where it exists) agreed on by the family.
Child traffic networks are well organised. The children come from Benin, Nigeria or Togo in large canoes via Equatorial Guinea or Cameroon, because it is difficult to land directly on the Gabon coast. In those countries, a relay of goods lorries carry them on to Gabon, with the complicity of some gendarmes and frontier police, who accept bribes.
«Another major aspect is that females predominate among the child victims of this traffic, and it is adult women who are the organisers of these networks», according to Bissielo. From observation on the ground and cross checking by associations for protecting children, the preponderance of girls among the exploited children results from the fact that they are more docile, often illiterate but able to count, and are more respectful of tradition. And when they reach the age of puberty, they vanish in a network of prostitution maintained by their guardians. Or again, those who survive their ordeal because they are good workers, may be asked for in marriage in polygamous West African families. Profitability is built up in stages and in the long term.
Organisation takes shape
A reception and transit hostel for children went into operation at the beginning of March in the northern suburbs of Libreville. It is the result of a convention signed on 19 January 2002 between the Minister of Social Affairs and the European Commission, to welcome minors who are victims of child traffic or who escape from their condition as slaves. The inmates come to the centre on their own or through social workers or workers at the Centre, who meet them in the streets and bring them if they can do so. «I was brought to the hostel by the brother of a friend who could not bear to see me beaten. The decision was hard to make and I left the house one Sunday when my guardians had gone to a family feast», says Flora Nguessan a 13-year-old Togolese girl who had arrived in Gabon by canoe, via Nigeria, more than a year ago. «The directors of the Centre have alerted my embassy and the formalities are being processed to have me repatriated to Togo where I live in the village of Aneho, 100 km from Lomé«.
The meeting of ministers, trained personnel and representatives of NGOs involved in this crucial problem of child trafficking from 14 countries, has been seen as decisive in putting into operation, ways and means of regional cooperation in view of eradicating this form of modern slavery. At the end of the deliberations, participating countries agreed to wage an efficacious and cohesive campaign to eliminate this inhuman and degrading practice. The acting director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Lambert Gbossa, examined the magnitude of the struggle, and declared that «the struggle necessarily requires inter-sector and international mobilisation». Gbossa recalled that the «ILO is firmly engaged in this struggle through its international programme for the elimination of child labour, which in the first place affects Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo».
Visibly receptive and ready to cooperate, participants were unanimous regarding the dissuasive aim of this sub-regional consultation, which represents a commitment for the Africa of tomorrow.
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