Minister of Social Affairs, National Solidarity, and the Protection of Widows and Orphans, in Charge of the Fights Against AIDS Angelique Ngoma of Gabon

NGOMA said that the delay in presenting the reports should be attributed not to negligence, but to difficult circumstances.

NGOMA said she was grateful for the positive reactions following the report’s introduction and agreed that most of Gabon’s texts needed strengthening to eliminate differences between legal texts and actual practice.

NGOMA said the fact that women had the option of asking for a divorce was not always known.

NGOMA said the Ministry faced both a problem of financial resources and skilled workers.

NGOMA said that, after Beijing, developed countries were supposed to assist developing countries in implementing the Platform for Action.

NGOMA said women could get a divorce if marriage became dangerous to their health or safety.