Gabon registered its first COVID-19 cases in March and Parliament declared a state of emergency in early April. On 10 April, the government announced that the capital, Libreville, as well as neighbouring municipalities, would impose lockdown measures. On 3 May, UNICEF reported while Libreville remained the main hotspot. As of 14 December, Gabon had recorded […]
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DETENTION STATISTICS
Migration Detainee Entries
Not Available
2019
DETENTION CAPACITY
ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT DATA
PRISON DATA
POPULATION DATA
LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Does the Country Have Specific Laws that Provide for Migration-Related Detention?
GROUNDS FOR DETENTION
LENGTH OF DETENTION
DETENTION INSTITUTIONS
PROCEDURAL STANDARDS & SAFEGUARDS
COSTS & OUTSOURCING
COVID-19 DATA
TRANSPARENCY
MONITORING
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING BODIES
NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISMS (OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE)
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS (NGOS)
GOVERNMENTAL MONITORING BODIES
INTERNATIONAL DETENTION MONITORING
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES & TREATY BODIES
International Treaties Ratified
Ratification Year
Observation Date
OP ICESCR, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
2014
2018
ICPED, International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
2011
2017
CAT, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2000
2017
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2010
2017
Ratio of relevant international treaties ratified
Ratio: 15/19
Individual Complaints Procedures
Acceptance Year
CEDAW, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 19992004
2004
Relevant Recommendations or Observations Issued by Treaty Bodies
Treaty Body
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
Recommendation Year
2022
Recommendation Excerpt
§ 21. "In line with its general recommendation No. 38 (2020) on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, the Committee recommends that the State party: (...)
(d) Systematically investigate all allegations of exploitation, abuse and violence against migrant women and girl workers, both documented and undocumented, and ensure that abusive employers are held accountable and that their punishment is commensurate with the gravity of the offence; (...)
37. The Committee recommends that the State party: (...)
(g) Improve the conditions in detention facilities where women are deprived of their liberty and ensure the provision of adequate access to health care and personal hygiene items for women in detention, in accordance with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) (General Assembly resolution 65/229 of 21 December 2010, annex).
(d) Systematically investigate all allegations of exploitation, abuse and violence against migrant women and girl workers, both documented and undocumented, and ensure that abusive employers are held accountable and that their punishment is commensurate with the gravity of the offence; (...)
37. The Committee recommends that the State party: (...)
(g) Improve the conditions in detention facilities where women are deprived of their liberty and ensure the provision of adequate access to health care and personal hygiene items for women in detention, in accordance with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) (General Assembly resolution 65/229 of 21 December 2010, annex).
Sources
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, "Concluding Observations on the Seventh Periodic Report of Gabon," CEDAW/C/GAB/CO/7, 1 March 2022, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CEDAW%2fC%2fGAB%2fCO%2f7&Lang=en
> UN Special Procedures
> UN Universal Periodic Review
Relevant Recommendations or Observations from the UN Universal Periodic Review
Recommendation Issued
No
Year Issued
2023
UPR Cycle
4th
Sources
Human Rights Council, "Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review* Gabon", 17 January 2023, United Nations General Assembly, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g23/045/45/pdf/g2304545.pdf
Recommendation Issued
Yes
Year Issued
2017
Sources
Human Rights Council, “Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Gabon,” A/HRC/37/6, 29 December 2017, https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G17/370/31/PDF/G1737031.pdf?OpenElement
Recommendation Issued
No
Year Issued
2012
Sources
Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review* Gabon, A/HRC/22/5, 13 December 2012, https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/gabon/session_14_-_october_2012/a_hrc_22_5_gabon_e.pdf
Recommendation Issued
No
Year Issued
2008
Sources
UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Gabon * A/HRC/8/35,
28 May 2008, https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/gabon/session_2_-_may_2008/ahrc835gabone.pdf
REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS
Regional Legal Instruments
Year of Ratification (Treaty) / Transposed (Directive) / Adoption (Regulation)
Observation Date
APRW, Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)2011
2011
2017
HEALTH CARE PROVISION
HEALTH IMPACTS
COVID-19
Country Updates
Gabon registered its first COVID-19 cases in March and Parliament declared a state of emergency in early April. On 10 April, the government announced that the capital, Libreville, as well as neighbouring municipalities, would impose lockdown measures. On 3 May, UNICEF reported while Libreville remained the main hotspot. As of 14 December, Gabon had recorded 9,330 COVID-19 cases and 63 deaths.
According to UNHCR, as of 30 November 2020, there were 479 refugees and 84 asylum seekers in the country. In addition, UNHCR stated that only three countries in West and Central Africa (Gabon, Nigeria and Niger) suspended access to asylum registration and most states in the region also closed their borders.
During Gabon’s review at the 2017 UN Universal Periodic Review, Congo, Egypt, and Sierra Leone recommended that Gabon “ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.” Burundi recommended that Gabon “make efforts to accelerate the process of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.”
As regards the country’s prisons, on 10 April, the president granted official pardons to 680 prisoners in order to alleviate overcrowding and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The GDP has been unable to establish the extent to which detention facilities are used in Gabon as part of immigration enforcement procedure or to obtain details on COVID-19 related measures taken to safeguard people in immigration custody.
Government Agencies
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - https://www.affaires-etrangeres.gouv.ga/
Ministry of Interior - https://www.interieur.gouv.ga/
International Organisations
UNHCR - https://www.unhcr.org/where-we-work/countries/gabon
IOM - https://www.iom.int/countries/gabon
NGO & Research Institutions
Caritas - https://www.caritas.org/where-caritas-work/africa/gabon/
Amnesty - https://www.amnesty.org/fr/location/africa/west-and-central-africa/gabon/
Human Rights Watch - https://www.amnesty.org/fr/location/africa/west-and-central-africa/gabon/
