U.S. Department of State 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Chad

Chad (Tier 2 Watch List)

Chad is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. The majority of children are trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, herding, forced begging, or sexual exploitation. Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding. Minors may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation. Reports indicate that Chadian rebels and the Chadian National Army unlawfully recruit minors into the armed forces. UNHCR reported that Sudanese rebels recruit Sudanese minors into armed forces from refugee camps in Chad.

The Government of Chad does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so, despite limited resources. Chad is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking over the past year. To strengthen its response to trafficking, Chad should pass its draft law prohibiting child trafficking, closely monitor its armed forces to ensure minors are not unlawfully recruited, enforce trafficking-related laws to arrest and prosecute traffickers, liaise with NGOs and international organizations to care for victims, and increase efforts to raise awareness about trafficking.

Prosecution

The Government of Chad made minimal efforts to combat trafficking through law enforcement during the reporting period. Chadian law does not prohibit trafficking in persons. A draft 2004 law against child trafficking has yet to be passed. A 2005 Ministry of Justice-sponsored executive decree to harmonize Chadian law with international standards against child labor exploitation has yet to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval. The government did not provide data on trafficking prosecutions or convictions during the year. The government arrested traffickers of a 16-year-old child, but failed to prosecute them due to lack of child-specific provisions in the penal code. A local NGO reported that after much urging from civil society, police arrested a child sex trafficker under kidnapping laws, placing him in jail from May to July, 2006, but he escaped before the government could take further legal action. Police arrested another suspected child sex trafficker in August 2006 under kidnapping laws, but released the suspect without taking further legal action. NGOs report that local officials use intermediaries to recruit child cattle herders. While the government has conducted some investigations, no officials have been penalized for involvement in trafficking children for herding.

Protection

The government demonstrated weak efforts to protect trafficking victims during the reporting period. In August, Chadian officials rescued a 16-year-old victim who was reunited with her parents and helped return a trafficked child rescued by Nigerian authorities to his home village. Police also rescued two victims of sex trafficking in February 2007. The government lacks shelters specifically for trafficking victims, but operates a shelter that provides some care to male street children, some of whom may be trafficking victims. Government authorities have not established strong ties with NGOs to provide care for victims. Authorities do not regularly conduct investigations of trafficking cases to identify and rescue victims. Despite requests to do so by international organization officials, Chadian authorities have failed to take measures to protect Sudanese children in refugee camps in Chad from being recruited by Sudanese rebels for armed conflict. The government does not encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or prosecutions. The government does not provide legal alternatives to the removal of foreign victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution. Victims are not inappropriately incarcerated, fined or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts as a direct result of being trafficked.

Prevention

The Government of Chad continued modest efforts to raise awareness about trafficking during the reporting period. The government, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, staged two public awareness-raising rallies on the exploitation of children as herders and domestics workers in Metekaga and Nderguigui; 6,000 people were present. Government-controlled television aired anti-trafficking documentaries and government radio broadcast programs for parents about how to protect children from traffickers. The government denied reports that the Chadian National Army recruits minors. However, it agreed to cooperate with UNICEF to conduct a survey on child soldiers in Chad in 2007. Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.