U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Cameroon

Cameroon (Tier 2)

Cameroon is a source, transit, and destination country for internationally trafficked persons; trafficking also occurs within Cameroon. Children are trafficked from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labor, and sexual exploitation. Women are principally trafficked from Cameroon to Europe for sexual exploitation.

The Government of Cameroon does not yet fully meet the minimum standards; however, the Government is making significant efforts to combat trafficking despite severe resource constraints. The Penal Code prohibits trafficking in persons and slavery; however, enforcement is constrained by the Government's limited resources. The penalties exceed those for forced sexual assault. The Government is participating in a two-part ILO trafficking project with eight other countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo). The Government established an interagency committee to combat trafficking and has developed a program to find and return trafficked children. The Ministry of Social Affairs is able to provide rehabilitative assistance to some child victims of trafficking and forced labor, but the facilities are overcrowded and poorly financed. The Government does not have resources to fund NGO's and relies on foreign assistance. The Government works with local and international NGO's that provide temporary shelter and assistance to victims of trafficking.