| The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date. This site is not updated so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. |
TITLE: GABON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES, 1993
DATE: JANUARY 31, 1994
AUTHOR: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
GABON
President Omar Bongo has ruled Gabon since 1967, but internal
pressures beginning in late 1989 forced him to acquiesce to
sweeping political reforms, including the promulgation of a new
Constitution providing for many basic freedoms and explicitly
abolishing the former system of one-party rule. However, the
National Assembly is still controlled by Bongo's former party
(the Gabonese Democratic Party, or PDG), which won a majority
of seats in multiparty legislative elections in 1990. Although
the PDG supported independent candidate Bongo in the 1993
Presidential elections, Bongo had relinquished all formal ties
with the PDG before the electoral campaign. There are also
deputies from eight other political parties.
President Bongo's current 7-year term expires in February
1994. In keeping with the 1991 Constitution and the
recommendations of the 1990 National Conference, presidential
elections took place in December. In an election marked by
administrative chaos and attempts by supporters of several
candidates to influence the outcome illegally, Bongo received
51.18 percent of the vote. Following the proclamation of the
election results, opposition presidential candidates filed suit
with the Constitutional Court on December 20 to have the
election annulled. The Court, which is charged with verifying
the results of all elections, must render a decision within 3
months from the date the suit was filed. Since the
Constitution allows presidents to serve two 5-year terms,
President Bongo's term would expire in 1999.
Responsibility for internal security is shared by the
gendarmerie (a paramilitary force of 2,700) and the national
police (consisting of 2,000 troops). Security forces regularly
employ beatings when interrogating suspects. The police and
the gendarmerie came under criticism for not protecting
opposition political gatherings from potential and actual
violence (see Section 2.b.).
Gabon is richly endowed with petroleum, manganese, uranium, and
vast timber resources, but it has experienced limited
agricultural and industrial development and must import most of
its food and manufactured goods. Rain forest covers 85 percent
of the country, and approximately half the 1.2 million
population lives in rural areas. Gabon's relatively high per
capita income ($5,906 in 1992), based largely on oil revenues,
belies the underdeveloped nature of the country and its
economy. Due to the precipitous fall in revenue from oil
exports in the late 1980's and an increasing debt load, the
Government imposed limited austerity measures to meet
International Monetary Fund program criteria in 1991. Since
independence, Gabon's economic policy has followed a free
market orientation and welcomed foreign investment.
In 1993 the Government carefully controlled the political
process culminating in the December presidential elections. It
introduced preelectoral measures, namely, a new Electoral Code,
a general census, a voting register, and several commissions to
oversee the actual elections. At the same time, it engaged in
or facilitated a series of steps during the year which
seriously impinged on freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and
association and harassed political and human rights critics.
Other human rights abuses included the security forces'
mistreatment of illegal aliens, detainees, and prisoners and
legal discrimination and societal violence against women.
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including
Freedom from:
a. Political and Other Extrajudicial Killing
There was one confirmed report of extrajudicial killing carried
out by security forces. During demonstrations that followed
the announcement of President Bongo's election victory, members
of the Presidential Guard detained, then publicly shot and
killed a demonstrator. A soldier was arrested in this case,
and both the Government and the military were carrying out
investigations at year's end. In the following 2 weeks, there
were at least three additional confirmed reports of security
forces using lethal force against demonstrators or curfew
violators.
In addition, there was an unconfirmed report that one person
died in prison when he was deprived of water. An investigation
was still ongoing into the death of "Fantomas," a prisoner who
died in police custody in 1992.
b. Disappearance
There were no confirmed cases of disappearances or abductions
ascribed to government security forces or any other group.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment
The Constitution prohibits the use of torture and inhuman or
extreme mistreatment. Gabonese security forces and prison
guards frequently use beatings, not only to obtain confessions
but also simply to exercise authority over prisoners. Credible
witnesses visiting imprisoned nationals report such beatings,
along with routine strippings and head shavings. In the case
of Louis-Venant Makomambasa (see Section 1.d.), in which there
were political and security aspects, his relatives reported
that he had been beaten and harshly interrogated. However,
following his release, the family elected not to press charges
and therefore no investigation was carried out.
Conditions in most prisons are abysmal; sanitation and
ventilation are very poor, and medical care is almost
nonexistent. Only minimal food is provided, and there are
reports that prisoners are deprived of water as a further means
of punishment.
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile
The law provides for up to 48 hours of initial preventive
detention, after which either a court's judgment must be
delivered, or a more lengthy investigation opened. In
practice, however, prisoners are often held longer without
charge, especially in security-related cases. In a highly
publicized case, a member of the gendarmerie, Louis-Venant
Makomambasa, was accused of passing military secrets to a
leading opposition political party. He was arrested,
questioned, then released. One week later, relatives reported
that he had again been detained, and that he was held without
charge, tortured, and otherwise mistreated. After 3 weeks, he
was again released.
There were reports that the authorities called in opposition
members and union members for short periods of questioning.
There were also occasional, unconfirmed reports from the
interior that local officials held people briefly in connection
with political activities. As far as known, the Government did
not press charges in these cases.
The Government continued to detain frequently--usually for
short periods--illegal aliens suspected of violating the law.
(see Section 2.d.).
There were no known political detainees or prisoners being held
at year's end.
Exile is not used as a punishment or means of political control
in Gabon, and there are no opposition leaders currently living
in forced exile. Pierre Mamboundou, who was convicted in
absentia for involvement in a 1989 coup plot, returned to Gabon
in 1993 to present himself as a presidential candidate.
Although he experienced some difficulty boarding a plane in
Dakar, no action was taken against him upon his return. The
conviction against Mamboundou still exists, but there had been
no action taken to prosecute him at year's end.
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial
The judicial system includes the normal court system, a
Military Tribunal to handle all offenses under military law, a
State Security Court, which is a civilian tribunal, and a
Special Criminal Court that deals with fraud and embezzlement
of funds by public officials. There are no traditional or
customary courts, but in some areas family disputes may be
taken before a village chief for resolution. However, chiefs'
decisions have no legal weight and are not recognized by the
Government.
The regular civilian court has three levels: the trial court;
the appellate court; and the Supreme Court, which has three
chambers. The 1991 Constitution transformed what had been the
fourth chamber into the Constitutional Court, an independent
body which is devoted solely to constitutional questions.
The right to a fair public trial is provided for in the
Constitution and is generally respected in criminal cases.
Nevertheless, procedural safeguards are lacking, particularly
in state security trials, where the judiciary remains
potentially vulnerable to intervention by the executive. In
these courts, trials are open to the public, and defendants are
represented by counsel, but appeals to the Supreme Court are
restricted to raising points of law. The State Security Court
is not a permanent body and is called into existence only as
the Government determines to hear security cases. It was last
convoked in 1990 to hear the coup plot cases of 1989-90.
The new Constitutional Court, invested in February 1992, has
demonstrated that it can act independently of the Government.
Its decisions were integrated into the 1993 Electoral Code
which governed the country's first multiparty presidential
elections in December. In November the Court declared
unconstitutional several articles of a press decree proposed by
the President, including an article which would have required
newspaper publishers to submit copy to the Minister of
Territorial Administration prior to publication (see Section
2.a.).
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or
Correspondence
The Constitution provides protection against searches without
warrant and surveillance of individuals or other invasions of
privacy. Legally authorized searches of private homes may
occur only during designated hours. Since the promulgation of
the new Constitution, extralegal abuses of this nature have
decreased. Nevertheless, search warrants often require minimal
justification and may even be issued after the fact.
Government authorities have used warrants to gain access to the
homes of opposition leaders and their families although there
were no confirmed cases of forced entry without warrant. The
Government also regularly exercises surveillance of private
citizens' movements, correspondence, and telephone
conversations. There have been credible reports of government
and military personnel being discharged, transferred, or denied
promotion because of membership or association with opposition
parties.
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
The Constitution provides for the right of free speech and
press. People speak freely, including in the National Assembly.
There are nine weekly independent and opposition newspapers in
addition to the government-controlled daily, L'Union. In April
the first opposition radio station, Radio Liberte, began
broadcasting and in September Television Liberte commenced
operation. The ruling PDG also began a radio station and
part-time television service. During the presidential
campaign, media, especially those controlled by political
parties, but also L'Union, published numerous allegations of
corruption against politicians of all stripes and launched
personal attacks on political leaders and their families.
A disturbing trend, however, was the growing tendency by
security elements to resort to intimidation and extralegal acts
(such as electronic jamming and the confiscation of
transmitting equipment) in an attempt to influence the
opposition media. In July, in response to opposition press
attacks on the Government and the military, the Ministers of
Defense and Territorial Administration convoked opposition
press leaders and demanded more responsible journalistic
practices. Unidentified security elements subjected Radio
Liberte, whose legal status was disputed by the Minister of
Communications, to electronic jamming on numerous occasions
throughout 1993, with the complicity of the Government. In
another incident, the Governor of Tchibanga dismantled a Radio
Liberte transmitter which was eventually restored to its
owners. On December 16, the facilities of another independent
radio station, Frequence Libre, were destroyed by an
unidentified group of commandos operating after the
government-imposed curfew. At year's end, an investigation was
pending.
In early September, following the publication of an article in
an opposition paper alleging that human sacrifices were taking
place at the Presidency, the Prime Minister issued a decree
prohibiting the publication of any newspaper not in conformity
with a preindependence press code and existing commercial
regulations. This measure effectively banned for nearly 2
months the publication of all but a handful of papers
controlled by supporters of the President. On October 7,
President Bongo, acting under his constitutional powers to pass
legislation by decree when the National Assembly is not in
session, issued a comprehensive press decree. The National
Communications Council and an opposition Deputy immediately
challenged this decree, and the Constitutional Court
subsequently ruled several of its provisions unconstitutional,
including requirements that newspapers register as commercial
entities and submit copy to government authorities before
publication. With the unconstitutional articles deleted, the
National Assembly approved the press decree before the end of
its 1993 session, and the decree will enter into force in
February 1994.
International news is rebroadcast by Gabonese stations, and
some foreign stations can be picked up via satellite. Foreign
periodicals and newspapers are widely available, including a
number of sensational exposes of high-level corruption which
appeared in the French press. There were no government bans on
foreign news.
There are no official restrictions on academic freedom,
including research.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
Recognized organizations (whether political, labor, youth,
women's cultural, ethnic, or otherwise) enjoy freedom of
assembly and association. A number of political parties held
parts of their party congresses in the National Assembly
building itself.
Permits are required for all outdoor assemblies, and the police
must be notified in advance. By law, unauthorized
demonstrations are not permitted, but in practice they often
take place and are tolerated. There were no known instances of
the authorities prohibiting meetings or demonstrations for most
of the year, but the Government imposed a state of alert in
mid-December that banned all public meetings, and security
forces prevented various opposition gatherings from taking
place.
Gabonese authorities normally showed considerable restraint in
dealing with demonstrators. During the 2 weeks prior to the
elections, police acted quickly and effectively to assure that
demonstrations and confrontations between the opposition and
the PDG remained peaceful. However, during other times of the
year security forces were noticeably absent from potentially
troublesome situations, despite advance knowledge. Police
failed to defuse riots after an August soccer match that
resulted in four deaths. They were also absent from some
opposition gatherings which were disrupted by violence
attributed to street gangs paid by rival parties.
c. Freedom of Religion
There is no state religion, and the Constitution provides for
religious freedom. A significant number of Gabonese in urban
areas are Catholic or Protestant, while both Christianity and
traditional African religions are practiced in the interior.
Less than 1 percent of Gabonese are Muslims, although the
President and a significant number of the West African
expatriate population--perhaps as many as 200,000--are Muslim.
A number of foreign missionary groups engage in both
evangelical and social projects with no government
interference. In 1970 the Government banned Jehovah's
Witnesses, claiming that their activities fostered disunity.
This ban has been neither rescinded nor actively enforced.
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign
Travel, Emigration, and Repatriation
Although there are no legally mandated restrictions on internal
movement, Gabonese nationals and expatriates alike frequently
encounter difficulties. Police and gendarmerie officials often
stop travelers to examine identity, residence, and registration
documents. In May what were thought to be politically
motivated groups formed barricades on many of the roads in
Gabon's interior, demanding improved government facilities and
services. Many of these groups descended into lawlessness,
extorting cash from travelers and damaging vehicles, thereby
greatly restricting the flow of goods and people. Government
authorities eventually sent troops to clear out the barricades,
and while there were arrests, there were no reports of serious
violence or abuse.
The curfew and the state of alert imposed in mid-December
placed limits on freedom of movement. Police detained or fined
anyone out after 10 p.m. and frequently stopped vehicles for
random searches. Routine identity checks also greatly
increased. During the 2 weeks immediately after announcement
of election results, the authorities restricted travel of some
opposition figures and others associated with the "Second
Republic Government" of Paul Mba Abessole; two presidential
candidates were barred from traveling to their hometowns, and
one was not permitted to board a flight for Europe.
Gabonese nationals often encounter difficulties when they wish
to travel abroad. The Gabonese Center for Documentation
requires extensive paperwork from Gabonese citizens in order to
obtain a passport and often imposes delays of up to a year
before granting the document. An exit visa is required to
leave the country. Opposition members have complained that
they have been subjected to stricter exit visa control than
nonpolitically active citizens. Women must have permission to
travel from their husbands, which is sometimes denied, in order
to obtain this visa.
Foreign nationals must pay the equivalent of $100 for an
exit/reentry permit for each trip out of the country, and even
with valid documents they often experience difficulties at
ports of entry. The authorities turn even documented
foreigners away.
The roughly 250,000 African expatriates resident in Gabon
encounter the greatest difficulties; residence cards cost over
$1,000, and foreigners are often detained even when in
possession of valid paperwork. Requests for bribes are
commonplace.
Gabon continues to control strictly the influx of foreign
workers. The Government has established a program of voluntary
departure for illegal immigrants in cooperation with a number
of African embassies and consulates, and this has greatly
diminished the cases of mistreatment of undocumented
immigrants. Between 1992 and 1993, the Government forcibly
repatriated approximately 15,000 Nigerians without due process.
Gabon continues to exercise its own control over refugee
identification, although coordination with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees has improved and statistics are
more readily published. There are about 150 refugees in Gabon;
there were no reports of mistreatment or forced repatriation of
refugees in 1993.
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens
to Change Their Government
The 1991 Constitution provides for this right, including the
right of citizens to organize and campaign in the political
process. There were serious irregularities in the 1990
multiparty legislative elections, including ballot rigging by
the PDG and other parties. In March 1992, the National
Assembly adopted an Electoral Code which gave the Ministry of
Territorial Administration control of the organization of the
1993 Presidential elections, with political parties and
nongovernmental organizations given observer status. Despite a
long lead time, grants of material assistance from a number of
countries, and offers of technical assistance from others,
election preparations were inadequate, especially in Libreville
where 40 percent of eligible voters reside. On election day,
the combination of inadequate organization and poorly trained
election officials facilitated attempts by supporters of
several candidates to influence the outcome, in particular
through illegal trafficking in voter registration cards and
multiple voting. The vote count itself took place under
chaotic conditions. At midnight on December 9 when, according
to several reports, votes were still being counted, the
Minister of Territorial Administration issued results showing
President Bongo the winner with 51.07 percent of the vote.
While the Constitutional Court subsequently proclaimed Bongo
the winner of the elections, a petition was filed with the
Court on December 20 by several other candidates to have the
presidential election annulled.
The declaration of election results was followed immediately by
the imposition of a state of alert which, under the provisions
of a preindependence law, provides for the house arrest of
persons judged dangerous to public order and suspension of
certain rights, including the right of assembly and freedom
from search without warrant. The state of alert also permitted
censorship of correspondence, the press, radio, film, and
theater, limited the free circulation of persons and goods, and
established a curfew. By year's end, the Government had
invoked only a few of these sanctions, most notably a ban on
travel by opposition presidential candidates and frequent
military roadblocks and checkpoints. Citing organizational
problems and an unsettled political climate, the Government
postponed municipal elections, which had been scheduled for
December 26, until March 27, 1994.
There are no legal restrictions on women or minorities in
politics. Some women have risen to positions of prominence in
the Government. Of the 120 Deputies in the National Assembly,
6 are women, and 3 women head government ministries. The
President of the new Constitutional Court is a distinguished
female jurist, and women head many of Gabon's human rights and
nongovernmental organizations.
Despite constitutional protections, the indigenous Pygmies
rarely participate in the political process, and the Government
has made only marginal efforts to include them (see Section 5).
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations
of Human Rights
While the Government handles most investigations of human
rights cases directly, it permits local human rights groups to
function. Several of these local groups have become
increasingly vocal. In the first report of direct government
interference, the head of the Gabonese League of Human Rights
claimed that he was subjected to official harassment following
a broadcast on Radio Liberte in which he attacked the Minister
of Communication's decree suspending the independent press.
There have been no active inquiries or participation from
foreign groups in recent years, so the Government's attitude
toward international inquiries is not known.
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion,
Disability, Language, or Social Status
The 1991 Constitution forbids discrimination based on national
origin, race, gender, or opinion, and there are no systematic
government-sponsored activities carried out against any
specific group.
Women
Despite the new Constitution, women continue to face legal and
societal discrimination. A woman is still required to obtain
her husband's permission to travel abroad, and in the case of
her deceased husband's estate, his family has the right to
claim large parts of the property. The head of the
Constitutional Court--a woman--and the League of Women Jurists
are actively contesting these laws.
Urban-based women face much less societal discrimination than
those living in rural areas. They enjoy greater access to
education, government employment, and private sector business
opportunities than rural women, whose roles are determined by
tradition and family and who bear the brunt of hard physical
labor, both domestic and agricultural. Urban women are more
aware of their legal rights, including the right to own
property, to associate and invest as they like, and to run
businesses. Gabon has a common property law, whereby all
property and wealth obtained after marriage is owned jointly by
the husband and wife; however, a spouse may not demand half
control of anything his or her partner earned or gained before
the marriage. Women may also initiate divorce proceedings and
women have initiated and won suits against discriminatory
employers.
Violence against women, including wife beating, does occur,
especially in rural areas. Villagers do not frown upon rural
women who leave abusive husbands, and among some ethnic groups,
a woman's family may help her seek recourse from the family of
the abusive husband. Rape and other violent crimes against
women are infrequent.
Children
The Government has given only limited attention to children's
rights. However, there was discussion of the subject in the
National Assembly in 1993, and the Assembly gave the Government
authority to sign the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of the
Child.
Indigenous People
Several thousand indigenous Pygmies live in the south of
Gabon. They exist largely independent of formal authorities,
keeping their own traditions in independent communities. In
theory, they have the same civil rights as any citizen,
although in practice they are often the victims of local
discriminatory practices. They have virtually no ability to
participate in decisions affecting their lands, culture,
traditions, and the allocation of natural resources. When the
Government instituted its policy of "regroupment,"
consolidating several smaller villages into larger ones along
main roads, the Pygmies remained in their outlying villages,
mostly without electricity, water, or state schools. There are
no government programs specifically targeted to assist Pygmies.
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Credible reports indicate that favoritism in hiring and
promotion based on ethnicity occurs on a fairly frequent basis
in both the public and private sectors. However, this occurs
back and forth across ethnic lines, and neither the Government
nor any single ethnic group is able to exercise a systematic
denial of privilege or right to any other group. Some ethnic
groups maintain that President Bongo carefully allocates key
cabinet and government positions to members of his ethnic
group, and they complain that there is no legislative check on
certain appointments, such as to the Supreme Court. However,
individuals from all ethnic groups occupy prominent positions
within the Government, the military, and the private sector.
People with Disabilities
There are no laws prohibiting discrimination against persons
with disabilities, and there are no laws providing for
accessibility for the disabled. In August members of the
National Association of Handicapped People in Gabon (ANPHG)
staged a protest at the Presidential Palace, demanding
accessible housing and revision of their social security
benefits. In response to the ANPHG protests, the President's
wife initiated a campaign to provide wheelchairs to the
handicapped.
Section 6 Worker Rights
a. The Right of Association
The 1991 Constitution recognizes the right of citizens to form
associations of all kinds, including trade and labor unions.
According to the Constitution, there are no restrictions on
this right of association. Unions, in order to be officially
recognized, must register with the Government. A 1992 law also
allowed public employees to organize, although their right to
strike is limited in areas pertaining to public safety. Under
single-party rule, all workers were required to belong to a
single union, the Gabonese Labor Confederation (COSYGA), to
which they contributed a mandatory 0.4 percent of their
salaries. In 1992 a new law allowed for the creation of unions
independent from COSYGA and abolished the mandatory
contribution.
Among some 70,000 union workers in the modern wage sector,
COSYGA continued to represent about 30,000, according to its
statistics. COSYGA is strongest in the construction, commerce,
and state-owned sectors, while CGSL is strong among teachers
and foreign workers. The petroleum sector is also strongly
unionized by smaller independent unions.
A revision of the Labor Code, which dates back to 1978, has
been repeatedly delayed. It would grant government recognition
to the new Gabonese Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CGSL).
The revised code had still not been officially published by
year's end, but the CGSL has been recruiting members and
organizing actively for nearly 2 years. The CGSL has greatly
expanded membership and representation for foreign workers in
Gabon, who make up at least 30 percent of the work force. The
CGSL has also been active in attempting to organize among civil
servants, but labor leaders report that civil servants have
remained reluctant to do so.
According to the Labor Code, unions remain free from Government
and political interference, although they are permitted to
associate themselves as their members choose. During the
presidential campaign, CGSL openly associated itself with the
opposition (although not with a specific party), while COSYGA
supported President Bongo.
Under the 1978 Code, strikes are illegal if they occur before
compulsory arbitration takes place. The International Labor
Organization and the CGSL have strongly criticized this
provision, and the revised code holds provisions to change it.
The Government has announced, but has not yet carried through,
its intentions to liberalize the right of workers to strike in
the new code. In practice, the Government has allowed labor to
strike without fear of arrest or other reprisal since the
official liberalization that followed the National Conference
in 1990.
The Labor Code prohibits direct government action against
strikers who have abided by the compulsory arbitration
provision. It also prohibits the Government from pressing
charges against a group as a whole for criminal activities on
the part of an person during a strike. In 1993 the Government
did not punish strikers, including those who did not follow the
provisions of the Labor Code. There were a number of short,
wildcat strikes in 1993: Postal and Telecommunication workers
struck occasionally, including on one occasion in support of
Radio Liberte, which at the time was being jammed (see Section
2.a.); and university teachers also went on strike in June,
refusing to give exams until the Government granted them a
greater role in governing the National University. These
strikes all took place with no government reprisals against
strikers.
Unions and confederations are free to affiliate with and
participate in international labor bodies. The COSYGA is
affiliated only with the Organization of African Trade Union
Unity, although it participates with other international
bodies. Even though the Government still had not granted CGSL
legal recognition in 1993, CGSL has affiliated with the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
The Labor Code provides for the right of collective
bargaining. Labor and management meet to negotiate
differences, with a representative from the Ministry of Labor
present only as an observer. When an accord is reached, the
ministry representative is called upon to draft an agreement
document and witness the parties' signatures. Unions in the
petroleum sector and banking sectors, for example, have
effectively engaged collective bargaining provisions to reach
agreements with employers.
Unions in each sector of the economy negotiate with management
without government interference over specific pay scales,
working conditions, and benefits, and the agreements reached
apply to nonunion workers. While there are no specific laws
which prohibit antiunion discrimination, decisions against
employers found guilty of antiunion discrimination are handled
on a case by case basis; the law does not specifically require
employers to reinstate workers, but compensation, as decided by
the court, must be made. In one case in 1993, a woman who was
fired for becoming pregnant twice in a 2-year period won a suit
against her employer. She informed the court that she did not
wish to be reinstated, and a different form of compensation was
stipulated.
There are no export processing zones.
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor
Forced labor is prohibited by law and not practiced.
d. Minimum Age for Employment of Children
Children below the age of 16 may not work without the express
consent of the Ministries of Labor, Education, and Public
Health. These Ministries rigorously enforce this law, and few
people in the modern wage sector are under the age of 18. In
rural areas, however, children work in agriculture and other
traditional activities.
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
The 1978 Labor Code and the 1982 General Convention of Labor
govern working conditions and benefits for all sectors and
provide broad protection to workers. Each year representatives
of labor, management, and government meet to examine economic
and labor conditions; they recommend a minimum wage rate within
government guidelines to the President, who then issues an
annual decree. Currently, the minimum wage for unskilled
workers is adequate to support workers and their families. The
minimum monthly wage is $219 (FCFA 64,000).
Gabon's oil and mineral wealth and its developed modern wage
sector allow foreign and local firms to pay competitive wages
and grant generous fringe benefits, including paid maternity
leave and 6 weeks of paid annual vacation. Union leaders have
stated that in many cases adequate conditions of work exist.
The standard legal workweek mandated by the Labor Code is 40
hours, and work over 40 hours a week must be compensated by
overtime. A minimum rest period of 48 consecutive hours must
be allowed.
The Ministry of Health establishes occupational health and
safety standards, but does not enforce these standards
effectively. Application of labor standards varies greatly
depending on company policy, and government regulation is
largely ineffective.
Conditions for foreigner workers in Gabon, both documented and
undocumented, are often especially harsh. Employers often
stipulate longer hours and allow poorer working conditions, and
they often hire only on a short-term basis in order to avoid
paying social security taxes or benefits. Increased labor
activities and worker education programs have improved some
situations, but abuses still exist.
[end of document]
Return
to 1993 Human Rights Practices report home page.
Return to DOSFAN
home page.
This is an official U.S. Government source
for information on the WWW. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links
does not imply endorsement of contents.