GABON

CRC OPT AC

RESERVATIONS AND DECLARATIONS

(Unless otherwise indicated, the reservations and declarations were made upon ratification, accession or succession)

Declaration:

Concerning article 3 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Government of the Republic of Gabon declares that the authorized minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the armed forces and the Gendarmerie Nationale is eighteen (18) years.

The Government of the Republic of Gabon further indicates below the safeguards it has adopted to ensure that such recruitment is not forced or coerced:

a) The recruitment procedure for the armed forces and the Gendarmerie Nationale in the Republic of Gabon is launched by an announcement in the national press and media for youth;

b) The recruitment dossier includes, as the case may be, a birth certificate and a certificate of school enrolment and/or apprenticeship, inter alia;

c) The induction of youths takes place in public, at a sports field or similar location;

d) All recruits undergo a rigorous medical examination.