Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, urged the republic of Gabon to adopt urgent measures to tackle trafficking in children from West and Central Africa into the country, including traditional and cultural factors that exacerbate this phenomenon.

“I am confident that Gabon can become a model for other countries in the region and beyond in the fight against trafficking,” she stressed.

“Although the Government has adopted legislation to combat human trafficking, significant gaps remain,” Ms. Ezeilo said at the end of her official visit to Gabon from 14 to 18 May. “There are a number of challenges that must be addressed by the Government if it is to succeed in effectively combating trafficking in persons and protecting the human rights of trafficked victims of all ages.”

The rights expert underscored that current laws limit protection to victims under the age of 18 and do not provide for all forms of exploitation including labor and sexual exploitations, slavery and removal of organs.

“I urge the Government to expand the scope of trafficking, to explicitly widen the forms and scope of protection to both trafficked women and men as per the Palermo Protocol, aimed at preventing, suppressing and punishing trafficking in persons.”

Gabon is a destination and transit country for trafficked persons from the sub-region of West and Central Africa. Boys and girls below the age of 18 predominantly from Benin, Mali and Togo are attracted to coming in the country, which is seen as one of the wealthy economies in the region, with prospects and opportunities for work.

“Most common forms of trafficking in Gabon are domestic work for young girls, servitude, and to some extent forced and early marriage; while for boys, work in the informal sector including auto mechanics and hard labor are common,” she said while noting that root causes of trafficking, include poverty and traditional practices, especially in West Africa, of sending children to live with relatives and demand for domestic workers by rich Gabonese families.

“The trend, forms and manifestation of trafficking in persons are not well-understood in Gabon, and there is a general lack of awareness and knowledge of trafficking in persons beyond child trafficking for exploitative labor,” Ms. Ezeilo stressed. “As a result, other victims of trafficking remain invisible and unrecognized by not only the general population, but also the victims themselves and the competent authorities.”

The human rights expert called on the authorities to help improve the understanding of the nature and scale of the problem of trafficking in persons in the country, through the collection of reliable national data to determine the prevalence rate, forms, trends and manifestation of human trafficking, including of children and women.

“With a coastal border of more than 800kms and a porous border with 3 countries, Gabon requires good cooperation with its neighbors to fight the phenomenon of trafficking,” she said, stressing that so far the signing of agreements with neighboring states have not materialized in spite of initiative of the government.

The Special Rapporteur also expressed her concern about the absence of a specific visa program to enable victims of trafficking to remain legally in the country, as well as for the safe return and repatriation of victims of trafficking. In her view, there is always a risk of re-trafficking and re-victimization, especially for trafficked children because family members are implicated in the exploitation of victims of trafficking.

During her five-day mission to Libreville, Ms. Ezeilo met with government officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Labour, Social Affairs and Family, Interior and Defense. She also met with the Public prosecution, the Police’s service for protection of minors, the monitoring committee in charge of implementing the platform of action on trafficking of children for the purpose of labor exploitation, the National Commission for Human Rights and civil society organizations.

“More importantly,” she stressed, “I met with victims themselves, including foreign girls during my visits to the government run Angondjé Shelter and two other shelters for girls and boys run by civil society organizations.”

Image Courtesy of    Brad Ruggles

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New York, U.S.A. – Experts and speakers dedicated to the empowerment of African women will gather in Libreville, Gabon.

The Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women, in association with Mrs. Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, the first lady of Gabon, will be hosting the 2012 installment of Dialogue for Action Africa (DFAA) in Libreville, Gabon. Dedicated to helping women in Africa lead safe, productive, and healthy lives, the forum seeks to creatively address the salient issues faced by African women.

In addition to special remarks by Cecilia Attias and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, DFAA will feature a unique collection of inspiring experts and speakers from academia, government, NGOs, the private sector, and the medical community. Cecilia Attias comments: “The diversity and expertise of Dialogue for Action Africa’s speakers is astounding. Their dedication to women’s issues is truly inspiring and their insights will be enabling to promote African women’s issues through actionable initiatives.”

These initiatives will culminate in a Plan of Action for Africa, which will be presented at the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico in June. At the G20, DFAA’s conclusions will become part of the global agenda and will be discussed by the world’s most influential leaders and policy makers. Creating this bridge between DFAA and government leaders is key to producing change at an institutional level and is an innovative example of public-private partnerships.

Dialogue for Action Africa will be held in conjunction with the New York Forum Africa, an annual action-oriented assembly of the world’s leading business, economic, and regulatory officials. By collaborating with New York Forum Africa, DFAA is seeking to build crosscutting partnerships between the worlds of business and NGOs.

New York Forum Africa founder Richard Attias comments: “Non-profits and private enterprises have much to share with one another. They can collaborate on a host of topics, from tackling issues related to efficiency and financing to engaging in discussions of mission and ethics. Collaboration between Dialogue for Action Africa and the New York Forum Africa is a step in this direction.”

Image Courtesy of MAINDRU PHOTO [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

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NEW YORK, U.S.A.- Experts and speakers dedicated to the empowerment of African women to gather in Libreville, Gabon

The Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women, in association with Mrs. Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, the first lady of Gabon, will be hosting the 2012 installment of Dialogue for Action Africa (DFAA) in Libreville, Gabon. Dedicated to helping women in Africa lead safe, productive, and healthy lives, the forum seeks to creatively address the salient issues faced by African women.

In addition to special remarks by Cecilia Attias and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, DFAA will feature a unique collection of inspiring experts and speakers from academia, government, NGOs, the private sector, and the medical community. Cecilia Attias comments: “The diversity and expertise of Dialogue for Action Africa’s speakers is astounding. Their dedication to women’s issues is truly inspiring and their insights will be enable us to promote African women’s issues through actionable initiatives.”

These initiatives will culminate in a Plan of Action for Africa, which will be presented at the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico in June. At the G20, DFAA’s conclusions will become part of the global agenda and will be discussed by the world’s most influential leaders and policy makers. Creating this bridge between DFAA and government leaders is key to producing change at an institutional level and is an innovative example of public-private partnerships.

Confirmed DFAA speakers and participants include: Hon. Aicha Bah Diallo, FAWE Chairperson and Advisor to the Director-General UNESCO Education; Holly Gordon, Vice President, Project Development, The Documentary Group; Sade Baderinwa, Emmy Award-winning news anchor;

Dr. Amy Lehman, Founder Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic; Magatte Wade, Founder and CEO Tiossano; Vickie Remoe, Founder and Creative Director How4Do productions; Casey Cobell, EVP & Country Director Indego Africa Rwanda; Philisiwe Buthelizi, CEO National Empowerment Fund; Fatime Christiane Ndiaye, Sr. Gender Specialist International Labour Organization; Elizabeth Dearborn Davis, Co-Founder of the Akilah Institute for Women; Edna Adan Ismail, Midwife, Founder Edna Adan Hospital; Nahid Toubia, Founder of RAINBO; Coumba Toure, educator and artist; Yomi Abiola, Activist and journalist; and Zainab Salbi, Founder Women for Women International.

Dialogue for Action Africa will be held in conjunction with the New York Forum Africa, an annual action-oriented assembly of the world’s leading business, economic, and regulatory officials. By collaborating with New York Forum Africa, DFAA is seeking to build crosscutting partnerships between the worlds of business and NGOs.

New York Forum Africa founder Richard Attias comments: “Non-profits and private enterprises have much to share with one another. They can collaborate on a host of topics, from tackling issues related to efficiency and financing to engaging in discussions of mission and ethics. Collaboration between Dialogue for Action Africa and the New York Forum Africa is a step in this direction.”

For more information please visit the Dialogue for Action Africa website at: http://www.ceciliaattiasfoundation.org/DialogueForActionAfrica

For more information please contact:

Cecilia Attias Foundation For Women

Online presence

http://www.ceciliaattiasfoundation.org

http://www.fondationsylviabongoondimba.org

http://www.ny-forum-africa.com

http://www.richardattiasassociates.com

Don’t forget to follow on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/Ceciliaattias

http://twitter.com/Sylviabongo

http://twitter.com/nyforum

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As the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea prepares to kick off, some of football’s biggest stars have been practicing more than just their moves on the football pitch; they’ve also been practicing delivering messages about malaria control.

Andrew (Dede) Ayew, midfielder from Ghana, Gervinho, forward from Cote d’Ivoire, and Moussa Sow, forward from Senegal, were just a few of the tournament stars who delivered malaria prevention and treatment messages in new United Against Malaria (UAM) public service announcements (PSAs) that will air throughout Africa during the tournament.

Other UAM champions who lent their voice to the new PSAs include Jordan Ayew, striker from Ghana, Charles Kabore, midfielder from Burkina Faso, and Asamoah Gyan, striker from Ghana. The PSAs focus on the importance of malaria prevention and treatment for children in Africa, “because all children deserve a chance at greatness, just like their heroes on the football pitch.” Although preventable and treatable, a child in Africa dies every 45 seconds from malaria.

“Malaria still kills many children in Africa, and it’s important that we educate fans on how to protect themselves and their families,” said Ghana Football Association President and CAF Executive Committee member Kwesi Nyantakyi, whose national team starred in a UAM PSA ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. “Until we have no children dying from malaria in Africa, we need to spread the word about ways to prevent and treat this disease.”

The new PSAs will be shown at half-time during matches aired in Ghana, Senegal and many other African countries through local and cable television stations.

“We are so grateful to the players and their national associations for their commitment to the fight against malaria,” said David Kyne, United Against Malaria Campaign Manager. “Their support offers us an unparalleled opportunity to reach millions of viewers watching the tournament to deliver messages about the prevention and treatment of malaria.”

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