Naciones Unidas A/HRC/23/48/Add.2 Asamblea General Distr. general 24 de mayo de 2013 Español Original: inglés Consejo de Derechos Humanos 23º período de sesiones Tema 3 de la agenda Promoción y protección de todos los derechos humanos, civiles, políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales, incluido el derecho al desarrollo Informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo Adición Misión al Gabón* ** Resumen La Relatora Especial destaca los esfuerzos del Gobierno en la lucha contra la trata de niños, en particular la ratificación de instrumentos internacionales y regionales y la aprobación de legislación interna, así como la adopción de un criterio multisectorial para combatir la trata de niños. La Relatora Especial expresa su preocupación, entre otras cosas, por el vacío jurídico en relación con todas las formas de trata y las víctimas adultas; la escasa capacidad y coordinación institucional; la ausencia de un organismo del Gobierno que aborde los problemas del tráfico, y la falta de datos fiables. También observa la falta de capacidad de las fuerzas del orden para identificar correctamente a las víctimas de trata, la falta de apoyo adecuado para la recuperación de las víctimas de la trata, en particular de los niños que están en refugios, la baja tasa de enjuiciamientos y las demoras en el examen judicial de casos de trata, y los esfuerzos insuficientes para hacer frente a las causas fundamentales, en particular la práctica no regulada de la "acogida de niños" y la demanda de mano de obra barata. La Relatora Especial formula recomendaciones al Gobierno, entre ellas, colmar las lagunas en la legislación contra la trata de personas, mejorar el sistema de administración de justicia, implantar un sistema integral de recopilación de datos sobre las víctimas de la trata, aumentar las actividades de fomento de la capacidad de quienes se ocupan de cuestiones relativas a la trata abordar sus causas profundas en los países de origen, en particular creando más oportunidades para la migración laboral segura. * El informe propiamente dicho, que figura en el anexo del resumen, se distribuye únicamente en el idioma en que se presentó y en francés. ** El documento se presentó con retraso. GE.13-13973 (S) 310513 030613 A/HRC/23/48/Add.2 Anexo [En francés e inglés únicamente] Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, on her mission to Gabon (14–18 May 2012) Contents Paragraphs Page I. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1–4 3 II. Main findings .......................................................................................................... 5–88 3 A. Forms and manifestations of trafficking in persons ........................................ 5–28 3 B. Legal, policy and institutional frameworks for combating trafficking in persons ........................................................................................................ 29–50 7 C. Identification of trafficked persons ................................................................. 51–58 11 D. Protection of trafficked persons ...................................................................... 59–63 13 E. Investigation, prosecution and punishment ..................................................... 64–70 14 F. Redress for victims of trafficking ................................................................... 71–73 15 G. Repatriation and reintegration ........................................................................ 74–80 16 H. Prevention ....................................................................................................... 81–83 17 I. Cooperation and partnership ........................................................................... 84–88 18 III. Conclusions and recommendations ......................................................................... 89–102 19 A. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 89–94 19 B. Recommendations ........................................................................................... 95–102 20 2 GE.13-13973 A/HRC/23/48/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. From 14 to 18 May 2012, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, conducted an official visit to Gabon at the invitation of the Government. 2. During her mission to Libreville, the Special Rapporteur met with ministers and representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie; Justice; Labour, Employment and Social Welfare; Health; Social Affairs, Solidarity and the Family; the Interior; Public Safety; Immigration; and Decentralization. She also met with the Attorney General and visited the service for protection of minors within the police. She further interacted with members of the Monitoring Committee in charge of implementing the platform of action against trafficking of children for the purpose of labour exploitation, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations (CSOs). She also visited the Government-run Angondjé Shelter and two other shelters run by Caritas, namely the Maison de l’Espoir and the Arc en Ciel Centre, for girls and boys in need, respectively, where she interacted with children victims of trafficking. Moreover, she engaged with diplomats from the Embassies of Benin, Mali, Nigeria, Togo and the United States of America. 3. The objectives of the visit were to explore the incidence, trends and root causes of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in Gabon and examine the initiatives and measures taken by the Government and civil society to combat and prevent this phenomenon, in the light of existing international law. 4. The Special Rapporteur expresses her sincere appreciation to the Government of Gabon and in particular the Attorney General’s Department of the Ministry of Justice in charge of human rights for the indispensable support it provided in planning and coordinating the visit. She further thanks the CSOs and the United Nations (in particular the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa based in Cameroon) for their assistance and support before, during and after the mission. II. Main findings A. Forms and manifestations of trafficking in persons 5. Gabon is a destination country and a transit country for trafficked women and children en route to Equatorial Guinea. Available information indicates that identified victims of trafficking are mainly from the subregion of West and Central Africa predominantly from Benin, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Togo. Boys and girls below the age of 18 are attracted to the country, which they see as one of the economically strong and socio-politically stable countries in the subregion with prospects and opportunities for work. Incidences of human trafficking have primarily been detected in the capital Libreville and Port-Gentil. GE.13-13973 3 A/HRC/23/48/Add.2 6. Internal trafficking of children also occurs in Gabon. Recent data from CSOs suggests that 30.6 per cent of Gabonese children were victims of trafficking in the Estuaire province in Gabon.1 7. In the large majority of cases, girl victims were found to be working in the area of domestic servitude and some were victims of forced and servile marriages and commercial sexual exploitations, while boys were trafficked for forced and exploitative labour in the informal and business sectors. However, other forms of trafficking, including forced begging, have emerged. Adult women are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and prostitution. 8. The victims of trafficking identified in Gabon appear to be controlled through subtle means such as psychological coercion, poverty – which compels victims to financially contribute to the family income – and even threats by their own family members, as is the case of a young girl from Togo who informed the Special Rapporteur that her widowed mother had warned her not to return because of the family’s dire economic situation. 9. Families of young victims seek the assistance of women, who serve as intermediaries and are sometimes related to the family, to find their girls employment as nannies in Gabon. Upon arrival in Gabon, the girls are deceived as to the nature and conditions of their babysitting work and become trapped in domestic servitude. Boys are also recruited through promises of better working conditions, earning more money or going to school. 10. According to accounts of victims of trafficking, the journey to Gabon takes several days in cramped boats, where victims sit without moving and are not provided with any sanitation facilities. The boats do not have adequate navigational equipment and capsizing or drowning of victims is not uncommon. Surviving victims are then smuggled through one of the blind spots along the Gabonese coastal border. Victims also reach Gabon by road through its porous land borders. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that children, unaccompanied or with adults pretending to be family members, arrive through the airports. 11. Root causes of trafficking include poverty and lack of economic opportunities in source countries, and the high demand for cheap and submissive child labour by