United States Department of State

Gabon United States Department of State

The most important human rights problems in the country were harsh prison conditions, lengthy pretrial detention, and ritual killings. Other serious human rights problems included: use of excessive force by police as well as police harassment and extortion of noncitizen Africans and refugees; an inefficient judiciary subject to government influence; government corruption; violence against women; societal discrimination against women, indigenous populations, and persons with HIV/AIDS; and trafficking in persons, including forced child labor. The government took some steps to prosecute and punish officials who committed abuses. Impunity remained a problem, however.