Gabon

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.