| Total
Child Labour |
NATIONAL
STATISTICS
* For the year 2000,
the ILO projects that there will be 430,000 economically active children,196,000
girls and 234,000 boys between the ages of 10-14, representing 22.96% of
this age group. (ILO, International Labour Office - Bureau of Statistics, Economically Active Population 1950-2010, STAT Working Paper, ILO 1997)
* In 1995, there were
418,000 economically active children between the ages of 10-14, representing
25.25% of this age group. Of these, 191,000 were girls and 227,000 were
boys. (ILO, International Labour Office - Bureau of Statistics, Economically Active Population 1950-2010, STAT Working Paper, ILO 1997)
LOCAL STATISTICS
* The ILO estimates there are 602,000 child labourers.
In the nation's major cities of Yaounde, Douala, and Bamenda, from
March to April, the ILO estimated that 40% of employed children
were female, 7% were less than 12 years of age, and 60% had dropped
out of primary schools. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing ILO)
GENERAL
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
* Child
labour remains a serious problem, although the Government has made
some progress to address it. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing an ILO study conducted
in conjunction with local NGO's and the Ministry of Labour)
|
| Child
Slavery |
LOCAL STATISTICS
* There were credible
reports that slavery continues to be practiced in parts of northern Cameroon,
including in the Lamidat of Rey Bouba, a traditional kingdom in the North
Province. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
GENERAL NOTES AND
OBSERVATIONS
* Children are trafficked
from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured
or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) |
| Child
Trafficking |
NATIONAL
STATISTICS
* An ILO study
conducted in March and April in Yaounde, Douala, and Bamenda revealed
that trafficking accounted for 84% or approximately 530,000 of an
estimated 610,000 child labourers. (US
Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000,
February 2001 citing ILO study)
* In September
a boat capsized off the coast of Cameroon carrying an estimated
140-suspected child slaves en route to Gabon.
(US
Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001,
March 2002)
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
*
The country is a transit country for regional traffickers, transporting
children between Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Chad, Togo, the Republic of the
Congo, and the Central African Republic. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001)
* Children are trafficked
from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured
or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
*
According to the NCHRF, there have been reports of farm-to-city trafficking
of girls who were promised jobs in cities, but were forced into prostitution
or other labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* Trafficking in children,
which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of considerable
media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers
who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken
to places in foreign countries, (according to the press, principally to
Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into servitude in
agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
|
| Child
Prostitution and
Pornography |
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
* Children are trafficked
from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured
or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* According to the
NCHRF, there have been reports of farm-to-city trafficking of girls who
were promised jobs in cities, but were forced into prostitution or other
labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
|
| Children
in Crime |
GENERAL
JUVENILE CRIME STATISTICS* In 1998 there
were 594 reported cases of juvenile crime, representing 5.07% of all
criminal cases. The specific offences were: 10 cases of serious assault
(6.18% of all cases), 139 cases of all types of theft (2.93% of all
cases), 75 cases of aggravated theft (7.45% of all cases), 295 cases
of other theft (9.89% of all cases), 16 cases of fraud (2.10% of all
cases), 1 case of counterfeit currency offences (3.51% of all cases),
8 cases of drug offences (13.57% of all cases)
(INTERPOL, International Crime Statistics
for 1998, citing National Statistics)
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
* Many children
are in jail for criminal activities. (DCI, International
Child Rights Monitor, October 1994 to March 1995)
|
| Child
Soldiers |
RECRUITMENT
LAWS AND REGULATIONS
* The minimum age for
recruitment is 18 years. Moreover, if the candidate is less than 21, he
or she must have parental authorisation. (CSUCS,
Africa Report, April 1999)
* There is no evidence
of any underage recruitment into the armed forces. (CSUCS,
Africa Report, April 1999)
|
| Domestic
Child Servants |
GENERAL NOTES AND
OBSERVATIONS
*
Children are trafficked from and through Cameroon to other West African
countries for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual
exploitation. (US
Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001)
* Trafficking in
children, which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of considerable
media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers
who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken
to places in foreign countries (according to the press, principally to
Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into servitude in
agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* There are credible
reports that children from needy homes especially girls are placed with
other families to perform family chores for money.
(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) |
Other
Hazardous
Child Labour |
GENERAL NOTES
AND OBSERVATIONS
* In the South and
East Provinces Baka, pygmies, including children, continued to be subjected
to unfair and exploitative labour practices. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
SPECIFIC
SECTORS
* Agriculture - Trafficking
in children, which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of
considerable media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave
home with traffickers who promise educational opportunities or other incentives.
They are taken to places in foreign countries, (according to the press,
principally to Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into
servitude in agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes.
(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)
* Street Vending -
Many urban street vendors are under 14 years of age. (US
Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998)
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