Rape as a Weapon of War

In recent years, global organizations have fought successfully to protect womens rights and gender equality, and Gabon is situated to play its role in maintaining this trend. Gabon is against each(prenominal) forms of effect against women, and recognizes muff as a serious violation of womens rights. Gabon withal recognizes that cozy violence is perpetuated by contend . Currently, armed conflicts across Africa atomic number 18 forcing many an(prenominal) women and children to migrate to unsafe territory, and increasing their vulnerability to poverty, abduction and human trafficking . These conditions directly expose them to rape and forced prostitution .Prisoners of war are trafficked into Gabon from Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Mali for prostitution, while others are brought as housemaids and lastly forced to become prostitutes . Human trafficking forces many innocent women and children to live in precaution of being exploited. However, Gabon is connected to policies which wi ll vex an end to sexual violence, as considerably as the conflicts which cause them . In 2001, Gabon enacted unappeasable laws for the prosecution of child traffickers. Gabon has similarly launch a national commission to press child trafficking, chaired by the nations vice president .The Gabonese political sympathies also set up a free hotline to labor human trafficking and sexual violence in April 2003, in collaboration with UNICEF. This was the first initiative of its kind in Africa. Gabon recognizes that raising awareness of sexual violence against women is crucial to ending it. The government of Gabon is also confident that a centre to post protection and assistance to the victims of human trafficking realised with the assistance of the European Union in March 2002 will help to rehabilitate the lives of many war-ravaged and sexually abused victims .In January 2002, Gabon fall in the the First redundantized Meeting on Child Trafficking and Exploitation in westward an d Central Africa, in Cote dIvoire along with representatives of African countries and UN agencies. Following this meeting, the Yamassoukro Declaration was adopted, upon which Gabon committed to collaborate with other African countries in campaigns against human trafficking . Gabon recognizes the Declaration as a crucial step in marriage womens vulnerability to rape across the region.As stated by former Prime take care Jean- Francois Ntoutoume Emane, the empowerment of women has been a major anteriority for Gabon. Gabon recognizes that women must be empowered to fight sexual violence, for the battle must be fought with them ang not for them.Country invoice < http//www. protectionproject. org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Ibid Ibid constitution Paper No. 14. 2(E) Human trafficking in Nigeria Root Causes and Recommendations Country Report < http//www. protectionproject. rg/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Ibid Troubnikoff, Anna. Traffi cking in Women and Children Current Issues and Developments. Nova Publishers, 2003 Country Report < http//www. protectionproject. org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Press Release No UNIS/GA/1655. General Assembly Special Session Continues, as Heads of State, High-level Ministers handle Initiatives for Social Development. < http//www. unis. unvienna. org/unis/pressrels/2000/ga1655. html >