Cabo Verde

The most serious human rights problems occurred in the following areas: police violence toward prisoners and detainees, delayed trials, and violence and discrimination against women. Other human rights problems included trafficking in persons, child abuse, some instances of child sexual exploitation, and child labor. Additionally, societal discrimination against women was common. Although the government took steps to prosecute and punish public officials who committed human rights abuses, the process was lengthy. The National Police took disciplinary action against officials who acted outside the law, but lack of a single authority to monitor or oversee cases or complaints made it difficult to track cases. Government and other state institutions sometimes downplayed or disregarded police abuses.