By By: Staff Writer
Monrovia, Liberia – Deputy Minister for Children and Social Protection at the ministry of Gender , Madam Garmai S. Torkpah says Liberia’s law reform agenda must be judged by how it protects the most vulnerable – children, women and persons with disabilities.
Mrs. Torkpah spoke Friday, November 6, 2026 on behalf of Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Hon. Gbeme Horace-Kollie at the official launch of the Law Reform Commission (LRC) Strategic Plan 2025-2030 at the Commission’s head office in Mamba Point, Monrovia.
She said the launch is more than a document launch – it is a promise to Liberians who have been failed by outdated laws.
“Somewhere in Liberia today, a 13-year-old girl is being told she cannot inherit her father’s land because the law is silent. Somewhere, a child living with a disability is being denied an education because the law is weak. Somewhere, a survivor of violence is still waiting for justice because the law is too slow,” Torkpah said.
“We did not gather here today for a document. We gathered for them. For every child whose future is held hostage by an outdated law. For every woman whose rights have been written away.”
Deputy Minister Torkpah said many Liberian laws remain unresponsive to modern realities including cyber exploitation of children, human trafficking and new forms of gender-based violence, while justice remains inaccessible due to complex language and centralized systems far from the counties.
“At the Ministry of Gender, we live by one truth: when the law is outdated, protection fails. When the law is reformed, protection prevails,” she said.
She described the LRC’s five-year plan, themed “Better Laws For A More Accountable Society – Modern, Responsive and Accessible Laws for Liberia,” as vital because it puts people at the center, strengthens peace, democracy and development, and builds a modern accountable institution through research, digitization and nationwide consultations from Montserrado to Maryland.
Charging the LRC leadership, Mrs. Torkpah said: “Be the voice of the people. Go beyond Monrovia. Listen to children, women, persons with disabilities and traditional leaders and bring their realities into every law you review. Be reformers, not custodians. Do not preserve outdated laws. Challenge them.”
She called on Government to own and fund the plan, on partners to walk with the Ministry to the end, and on civil society and the media to bring citizens’ voices and hold institutions accountable.
The Ministry pledged its full and unwavering collaboration with the LRC to ensure laws on child protection, SGBV, inheritance, land rights and social protection are reviewed and implemented.
“When we reform the law, we do not just change words on paper; we change the future of a child. In Liberia, let our laws not just be written – let them protect, let them include, let them transform,” Torkpah said.
The launch was presided over by LRC Chairperson Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah and Executive Director Cllr. Ramsey T. Kumbuyah and brought together officials from the Ministry of State, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, National Elections Commission and development partners including UNDP and OHCHR.
UNDP Resident Representative Aliou Mamadou Dia, who served as Chief Launcher, reaffirmed UNDP’s support for legislative drafting, codification and gender-responsive reforms.
Torkpah extended special appreciation to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his vision and leadership in advancing governance and rule of law reforms.
