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In April 2004, Cameroon also ratified the UN Convention against Trans-National Organised crimes and its two protocols to prevent trafficking and the smuggling of migrants. Government drafted legislation for these agreements, and has revised its family code that would raise the minimum age for marriage from 15 to 18 years. In July 2004, the legislature strengthen the role and authority of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedom, which conducts investigations and implements training programmes for law enforcement and judiciary officials on trafficking in persons. To further concretise its war against trafficking, the government of Cameroon signed a partnership agreement with the International Labour Organisation in October 2004 to sensitise the public on trafficking and organised in partnership with ILO, a programme focusing street children vulnerable to trafficking
Recommendation to trafficking
The first remedy to trafficking is the sensitization of parents and potential victims. The latter must often do not seem to understand the language of traffickers who always promise good jobs and remuneration, but eventually exploit them. Victims, because of their desperate and helpless condition and in spite of meagre or modest wages may ignorantly believe the traffickers are their saviours.
Traffickers equally need to be sensitized since some of them are not conscious of their being involved in trafficking. They take into cognisance the fact that victims are paid, as such perceive themselves as employers and not traffickers.
It is also evident that street children are vulnerable to trafficking. Therefore the government should go an extra mile by seeking to know why children resort to street life. Is it poverty? Is it escaping from overcrowded or broken home or begging to supplement their family income? If the government poses such questions and solution sought, trafficking will be partially solved. In addition, government should render financial and moral support to orphans as most of them tend to fall prey to traffickers.
Social security and welfare polices should help parents hold their families together, protect and educate children for meaningful non-exploitative occupations. Such policies should also ensure that every child is registered at birth to posses nationality.
The convention on the rights of the child and other international instruments to which the Cameroon government is a signatory should be rigorously enforced. Art 3 of the convention maintains that the best interest of children in all circumstances should be upheld. It equally obliges state parties to provide adequate care when parents or others charged with that responsibility fail to do so.
Art 20 calls for special protection for children deprived of a family environment, while Art 19 emphasizes protection from abuse and neglect by parents or other guardian. Art 32, 34 and 3.6 focuses on the protection against economic, sexual or other forms of exploitation.
Child Labour
A common phenomenon in the society today is the child abuse syndrome. Peculiar in this repugnant atmosphere is the child labour plight. Children are so important and delicate that our beloved African continent has set aside a day in honour of her little ones-called the day of the African child –beside other world days for children. It is but normal today to see kids seven to twelve years old working rather than schooling. When one makes a patrol at the market squares and bus stops, then one can better appreciate this view. What of those infants who by the age of six, starts accompanying their parents into the forests, trekking over four miles of hilly terrains, to work on the farms? stances of this imbroglios abound. When one talks of child labour, one does not only look at it in terms of parents over working their children. One also examines the more pungent aspect of it, which entails a guardian, warden or an elderly relative exploiting the strength of the child. In a country where children are becoming more and more orphans owing to many and reckless health pandemic, that sends their parents to early deaths, many children are left to succumb to their fate by being given into the custody of aliens. They helpless, choice less ones usually cannot but dance to the tunes of their supposed benevolent custodians.
The child becomes a source of cheap labour for their guardians as they are virtually responsible for all domestic chores that normally should have been done by some paid servant. No body is saying that children should not work. In a dispensation characterised by poverty and misery, it is evident that parents need the help of their children at home, on the farm and in the market but the cry of the society is that parents and guardian should have a conscience, they should trace and attempt to observe the dividing line between child work and children labour.
Child domestic exploitation is one of the most common and traditional forms of child labour. The practice, especially in the case of girls, is quite extensive, as many cultures continue to view girls’ in the house hold as an essential part to their upbringing. The children are usually from extended families, family friends or acquaintance. They usually come from extremely poor families, single parents family and villages, some abandoned children and orphans. Because these children are often identified as relatives, it becomes seemingly difficult to depict child exploitation. Adopted children and wards are subjected to poor corporal treatments. They are over-tasked and are always victims of discrimination at home. Little or nor attention is given to their basic needs such as health, dressing, feeding, rest and education.
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Writer Profile
Akwalla Johanness
I am a young development activist who believes that for youths to be successful, we need to come together and share ideas that are beneficial to the whole of humanity.
I strongly believe that for Africa to come out of the political hostage its finds itself, our leaders must stop to consider themselves as traditional rulers. We all know that traditional rulers rule for life, and power is passed on to their descendant. And I think that once our leaders stop to think of themselves as such and concentrate on development by investing into the education and basic health care and social services, then can we say we are on the right path to human development.
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