U.S. Department of State 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report - Angola

Angola (Tier 2)

Angola is a source country for small numbers of women and children trafficked, primarily internally, for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Angolan children are trafficked internally for commercial agriculture, porting, street vending, and forced prostitution; some children are trafficked to Namibia and South Africa for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.

The Government of Angola does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Future government actions should focus on: proactively investigating suspected human trafficking cases; utilizing existing legal statutes to prosecute cases of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; and providing protective services for children rescued from prostitution and forced labor.

Prosecution

Angola's anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts were modest during the reporting period. There are no specific laws that prohibit trafficking in persons, but elements of Angola's constitution and statutory laws, including those criminalizing forced or bonded labor, could be used to prosecute trafficking cases. No human trafficking cases were investigated or prosecuted during the year. National Police became more professional in the past year, but are still unable to properly document and investigate crimes. During the period, the National Institute for Children (INAC) provided several hundred police officers with training on the nature of human trafficking and how to respond to children found on the street. In 2005, 110 officials at border posts in 10 provinces received UNICEF training that addressed international trafficking laws and the collection of immigration and emigration data through new UNICEF-provided computer hardware and software. During the year, over 800 child travelers were screened at the international airport as part of the implementation of a new law requiring documentation for the international travel of unaccompanied minors; no cases of children traveling illegally outside of the country were found.

Protection

The government sustained the provision of significant but unevenly distributed protections for victims of trafficking during the reporting period. Its Institute for Social and Professional Reintegration of Ex-Combatants continued to collaborate with UNICEF and the World Bank to implement protection programs targeting war-affected children, including child soldiers. During the year, former child soldiers, as well as populations that were not initially registered as child soldiers, were provided with primary education, vocational skills training, psychological services, and assistance with civil registration. Since 2003, these programs have been made available to 4,700 adolescents. The Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration continued programs that in 2005 reunified 526 separated children with their families. The government provides basic assistance, including shelter in orphanages or with foster families, for trafficking victims on an as-needed basis; it provided no examples of this assistance being utilized during the reporting period.

Prevention

The government made progress in preventing new incidents of trafficking over the last year. The National Commission to Combat Child Labor and Trafficking in Minors met monthly and began, without outside assistance, research on the extent of trafficking in persons and the government's response to the phenomenon in four border provinces. INAC's educational campaign on child commercial sexual exploitation and child abuse increased public awareness through newspaper ads, radio public service announcements, and speeches and interviews by government officials; this campaign reached approximately 60 percent of the Angolan population. To strengthen local support for vulnerable children during the reporting period, the government established between 15 and 20 community-level "child networks" to promote dialogue between families, religious sects, local police, tribal authorities, provincial government officials, and prominent community members. These networks raised awareness of child protection issues and reduced the rate of child abandonment. The draft national plan of action to combat child trafficking remained under review. The Ministry of Education increased the number of students enrolled in all grade levels by hiring and training new teachers; 10,000 war-affected children residing in areas of heavy demobilization also benefited from the government's 2005 construction of new schools.