Human rights in the Central African Republic

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The Central African Republic, which the United Nations High Commissioner has described as undergoing "the most neglected crisis in the world",[1] has an extremely poor human rights record. It has been designated 'Not Free' by Freedom House from 1972 to 1990, in 2002 and 2003, and from 2014 to the present day. It was rated 'Partly Free' from 1991 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2013.[2] On the United Nations Human Development Index, it ranks 179 out of 187 countries.[3] Between 1988 and 2008, life expectancy decreased from 49 years to 47.7 years.[1]

According to the U.S. State Department, major human rights abuses occur in the country. These include extrajudicial executions by security forces; the torture, beating and rape of suspects and prisoners; impunity, particularly among the armed forces; harsh and life-threatening conditions in prisons and detention centers; arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged pretrial detention and denial of fair trials; occasional intimidation and restrictions on the press; restrictions on freedom of movement; official corruption; and restrictions on workers' rights.[4]

The State Department report also cites widespread, and often fatal, mob violence; the prevalence of female genital mutilation; discrimination against women and Pygmies; trafficking in persons; forced labor; and child labor. Freedom of movement is limited in the northern part of the country "because of actions by state security forces, armed bandits, and other nonstate armed entities" and thanks to fighting between government and anti-government forces, many persons have been internally displaced.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Central African Republic: The near-poorest country - and most neglected crisis - in the world". Mercy Corps. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  2. ^ "FIW Score". Freedom House. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  3. ^ "Central African Republic". International Human Development Indicators. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "2010 Human Rights Report: Central African Republic". US Department of State. Retrieved January 26, 2013.