2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

G A B O N
102
Prosecution
The Government of France continued progress
in combating trafficking in persons during 2006.
France prohibits trafficking for both sexual and
labor exploitation through Article 225 of its penal
code, which prescribes penalties that are sufficiently
stringent and exceed those for rape. Prosecutors
continued to apply the anti-pimping laws in lieu of
the anti-trafficking provision in sex trafficking cases
because the prosecutors are accustomed to using
them, and because the penalties for both (including
cases involving aggravating circumstances)
are basically identical. The government reported
high numbers of pimping arrests and prosecutions
in 2006, but it is unclear how many of these
are trafficking cases, since the government does
not disaggregate sentencing data by crime. Of 55
persons convicted of “aggravated pimping involving
a minor,” only eight were convicted solely on this
count; seven of those received a prison term, serving
an average of little more than 25 months each. The
CCEM is currently working on cases for 89 victims
of involuntary domestic servitude in various stages
of the judicial process, 39 of these cases were new in
2006. In February 2007, 10 traffickers and 41 French
“buyers” were convicted and sentenced for “trade in
human beings.” In April 2007, five members of an
extended family network involved in forcing up to
60 homeless people to work under inhumane conditions
in Paris and Marseille were sentenced to terms
of four years and 1.5 million euro in fines under the
anti-trafficking law. There were also two convictions
in 2006 of French citizens for sex tourism abroad;
they resulted in prison sentences of eight and 10
years. The government increased law enforcement
cooperation with Bulgaria and Romania. There was
no indication of trafficking-related complicity among
French government officials.
Protection
The Government of France continued to protect and
assist victims of trafficking in 2006. The government
encourages victim participation in the investigation
of traffickers, and victims may file civil complaints
against traffickers. A trafficking victim who files a
complaint against a trafficker or testifies against him
or her is eligible for a temporary three-month residency
card and a work permit. The temporary card
can be renewed for another three months and again
for a period of six months. Moreover, an Interior
Ministry circular of 2005 authorized authorities not
to return trafficking victims to countries where they
will suffer mistreatment. The government does not
provide information on how many of these permits
it issues, as they are provided through mayor’s
offices and not tabulated nationally. However, the
figure in 2005 was over 300 permits issued in Paris
alone. If the trafficker is convicted, the victim is
eligible for a permanent residency card. Occasionally
women in prostitution are arrested and fined for
solicitation without being screened to determine
whether they are victims. The government and City
of Paris fund comprehensive services and long-term
shelter facilities for trafficking victims through the
Accompaniment Places of Welcome (ALC). The ALC
network of 33 NGOs provides victim services in 36
shelters across France. In 2006, the ALC received
notifications on 58 trafficking victims in need of
shelter and placed 52 victims in 25 shelters with six
victims returned to their country of origin.
Prevention
France continued to demonstrate efforts to raise
awareness and prevent trafficking in persons in
2006. In early 2007, the government sponsored
its first-ever nationwide conference that brought
together enforcement officials, magistrates, and
NGOs to discuss how better to improve communication
and cooperation in protecting victims and
preventing trafficking. The government continued
its participation in an anti-trafficking awareness
campaign that used posters calling attention to
the reality that women in prostitution in France
may be victims of trafficking. The government also
funded television ad campaigns on all the major
channels on child prostitution and sex tourism.
The government continued funding an NGO-run
anti-child sex tourism campaign on Air France
flights. In 2006, the Ministry of Tourism instituted
a program to combat sex tourism by French citizens
and residents. All tourism students in France must
do course work on sex tourism. In September 2006,
anti-trafficking police officials were assigned to 12
French embassies in countries with well-known sex
tourism trades in an attempt to prosecute offenders,
raise official awareness of the problem, and increase
cooperation with those countries.
GABON (Tier 2)
Gabon is a destination country for children trafficked
for the purpose of forced labor. Children
are trafficked primarily by boat to Gabon from
Benin, Nigeria, Togo, and Guinea, with smaller
numbers coming from Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso
and Cameroon. Girls are trafficked for domestic
servitude, forced market vending, and forced restaurant
labor, while boys are trafficked for forced street
hawking and forced labor in small workshops.
The Government of Gabon does not fully comply
with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts
to do so. Progress initiated in 2004 to prosecute
traffickers has stalled. To strengthen its response
to trafficking, Gabon should increase efforts to
prosecute traffickers, develop a system for collecting
trafficking crime and victim statistics, and further
strengthen victim protection and awareness-raising
efforts.