ECPAT [to 16 February 2014]
Life under the poverty line pushes Cameroon’s children into prostitution at a very young age
Cameroon, situated in one of the poorest regions of the world, is marked by persistent conflict. Out of 187 countries, Cameroon is ranked 150th on the Human Development Index, with 46% of its children living under the poverty threshold. Although unemployment reached 20% of the population, 40% of children aged 10 to 17 were in the workforce in 2010.
Children in Cameroon are highly at risk for sexual exploitation. One out of four children under eight years of age is orphaned while almost 30% of children under five do not have the proper identification papers. Even worse, 26% of children under eight are victims of serious physical abuse. The main risk factors for such abuse are extreme poverty, the lack of parental supports and an inadequate legislation to combat this phenomenon. These factors also push young people into prostitution. According to one study, around 4000 of children aged 11 to 17 are victims of child prostitution in Cameroon and most are forced into prostitution between the ages of 9 and 17. Despite being victims, the authorities treat these children as criminals and many are arrested and then forced to have sex with police officers in order to be released. Moreover, one out of for children forced to work in the sex trade is subjected to torture by both the clients and police…
To understand more about the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Cameroon you can read the full report:
Rapport: Global de Suivi de la mise en oeuvre des actions de lutte contre l’exploitation sexuelle des enfants à des fins commerciales :: LA RÉPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN
2013; 60 pages: http://resources.ecpat.net/EI/Pdf/A4A_II/A4A_V2_AF_Cameroon.pdf
Droits d’auteur © 2013, ECPAT International (2ème édition)
Cette publication a été réalisée avec le soutien financier de l’Agence Suédoise de Développement International (ASDI), The Oak Foundation et Irish Aid. Cette publication a été redigée par Elphie Galland avec l’assistance de François-Xavier Souchet, Sarah Haider et de Melanie K. Gnandi. Ce rapport a été élaboré en collaboration avec ASSEJA.
ECPAT International @ECPAT Feb 12
How well is #Cameroon protecting its children from #CSEC? Read ECPAT’s country monitoring report here: http://bit.ly/1ltNnXN
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Want to know more about our #makeitsafe project? http://ecpat.be/en/our-actions/project-make-it-safe/ … #SID2014 @ECPATUK @ECPAT_NL @ECPATgermany @ECPAT
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