development; have leisure time free from other demands; and space and
opportunities to play outdoors.
H. Special protection measures
Refugee, Migrant and Displaced Children
44. Appreciating the adoption of Act No. 005/98 to regulate the status of refugees, the
Committee recommends the Government of Gabon to continue its efforts to enhance
protection for asylum seeking, abandoned and unaccompanied children and to
provide such children with basic education, health care and other services.
45. Furthermore, the Committee recommends the State Party to collaborate with CSOs
to trace and unify unaccompanied children, to explore durable solutions, and to
provide psychosocial assistance.
Children in Conflict with the Law
46. The Committee appreciates the efforts of the State Party in protecting and
respecting the rights of children in conflict with the law. However, the Committee is
concerned by the fact that children are detained with adults and a quarter for minors
is available only in Libreville Central Prison and in Franceville. Therefore, the
Committee recommends the State Party to provide mechanisms and structures
outside the prison to take care of minors in conflict with the law. In instances where
detention is inevitable, the Committee recommends the State Party to ensure that
minors are detained separate from adults in all correction facilities in the country.
47. Moreover, the Committee recommends the State Party to establish child friendly
courts across the country and to increase the working pool of psychologists and
social workers in the juvenile justice system. To this effect, the Committee
recommends the State Party to refer to the Guidelines on Action for Children in the
Justice System in Africa.
Children of Imprisoned Mothers
48. The Committee recommends the State Party to avoid detention of mothers and
primary care givers and when detention deems to be inevitable to extend special
treatment for throughout conviction, sentencing, imprisonment and reintegration
phases of the criminal justice process. To this effect, the Committee recommends
the State Party to consult General Comment No.1 of the ACERWC on article 30 of
the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
Sexual Exploitation and abuse
49. The Committee noted that close to 42% of girls who are between the ages of 16 to
17 years are sexually exploited as commercial sex workers. Therefore, the
Committee urges the State Party to prevent and combat the crime of commercial
sexual exploitation of children, to prosecute the perpetrators, and to set in place