Human trafficking in Liberia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia鈥揝ierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in September 2004. In 2008, Liberia was a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Most victims were trafficked within Liberia, primarily from rural areas to urban areas for domestic servitude, forced street vending, and sexual exploitation. Children were also trafficked to alluvial diamond mining areas for forced labor.
Refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s and internally displaced children in Liberia were subjected to sexual exploitation by some international organization and non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel. A January 2008 United Nations (UN) report indicated that such abuses by UN personnel declined in the previous year. There have been reports that children were trafficked to Liberia from Sierra Leone,
Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 馂馂き馂げ馂か, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, 邧邔攥撸邖攉, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: R茅publique de Guin茅e), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, and
C么te d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as C么te d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of C么te d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
and from Liberia to C么te d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Nigeria for domestic servitude, street vending, sexual exploitation, and agricultural labor. Struggling to rebuild after 14 years of civil conflict and two years of transitional rule, the capacity of the government elected in 2005 to address trafficking is limited by a crippled judiciary and a lack of resources. Aside from capacity issues, in the wake of its war, Liberia has not been sufficiently aggressive in prosecuting traffickers or providing care to victims."Liberia"
''Trafficking in Persons Report 2008''
U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
(June 4, 2008). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.''
In 2008, the Government of Liberia did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, it made significant efforts to do so despite limited resources. Great improvements were needed in the areas of law enforcement and victim protection. At the same time, the government undertook commendable efforts in the area of prevention. The U.S. State Department's
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) is an agency within the United States Department of State charged with investigating and creating programs to prevent human trafficking both within the United States and internation ...
placed the country in, "Tier 2 Watchlist" in 2017. The country was placed at Tier 2 in 2023. US Government website, ''Trafficking in Persons Report 2023''
/ref> In 2023, the Organised Crime Index noted that the country had reduced its number of investigations and prosecutions. Organised Crime Index website, ''Liberia'', retrieved August 19, 2024
/ref>


Prosecution (2008)

The Government of Liberia demonstrated limited law enforcement efforts to combat trafficking in 2008. Liberia's 2005 Act to Ban Trafficking prohibits all forms of trafficking, but no traffickers have been convicted or sentenced under this law. The law prescribes a minimum penalty of one year imprisonment for labor trafficking of adults, six years' imprisonment for sex trafficking of adults, five to 11 years' imprisonment for child labor trafficking, and 11 to 16 years' imprisonment for child sex trafficking. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for rape. The government investigated seven trafficking cases in 2008, six of which were cases of trafficking within the country and one of which involved transnational trafficking. Three suspects remain in police custody pending trial, three were released on bail after their charges were reduced, and one suspect was deported. All newly recruited police officers continued to participate in UN-sponsored trainings on trafficking. Due to a shortage of funds, police continue to lack basic investigatory tools, such as vehicles, and rely heavily on UN assistance. The Women and Children Protection Section (WCPS) of the Liberia National Police collaborated with the UN to address sexual exploitation and abuse of minors by expatriate humanitarian workers in Liberia as well as by Liberian nationals.


Protection (2008)

Liberia demonstrated minimal efforts to protect trafficking victims during 2008. Due to lack of resources, the government does not directly provide shelter or other services to victims. The Liberian government refers victims to NGOs with the capacity to provide victim care. The WCPS referred victims to an international NGO and was available to provide security for victims. The government was unable to provide
statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
on the number of children assisted. The government does not encourage victims, all of whom are children, to assist in trafficking investigations or prosecutions. Liberia does not provide legal alternatives to the removal of foreign victims to countries where they face hardship or
retribution Retribution may refer to: * Punishment * Retributive justice, a theory of justice ** Divine retribution, retributive justice in a religious context * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film and televis ...
. Victims are not inappropriately incarcerated, fined or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.


Prevention (2008)

The Government of Liberia made significant efforts to educate the public about trafficking. The Ministry of Labor's Commission on Child Labor launched a campaign to alert parents and children about the dangers of child labor on rubber plantations. The National Human Trafficking Task Force aired anti-trafficking radio spots funded by the Liberian government. Since November 2007, the Task Force has also worked closely with a local NGO on anti-trafficking public education programs by providing legal guidance. In October 2007, the Task Force held a government-funded workshop to sensitize local government officials about trafficking. The Task Force, which is chaired by the Minister of Labor, but which lacks a budget, held a meeting every two months in 2007. The government's Commission on Child Labor, which was reestablished in 2005, continued to meet quarterly during the year. The government has taken steps to reduce demand for commercial sex acts through its awareness campaign against sexual exploitation and abuse.


See also

* Crime in Liberia


References

{{Africa topic, Human trafficking in
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia鈥揝ierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia鈥揝ierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
Human rights abuses in Liberia Crime in Liberia by type