By US Department of State Trafficking in Person Reports says the Liberian government is making efforts to eliminate trafficking, including renovating victim shelters and conducting awareness campaigns, but has not shown overall improvement in prosecuting and convicting traffickers.
According to the recent TIP report released Liberia was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List due to insufficient resources, inadequate victim services, and government funding for anti-trafficking efforts, resulting in concerns of official complicity.
The Report further prioritize recommendations such as:
Increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including those involved in internal trafficking and officials accused of complicity, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms. * Increase the availability of protection services for all trafficking victims – including for victims outside the capital, male victims, and victims requiring long-term care – including by partnering with and allocating funding to civil society. * Allocate financial and in-kind resources to support anti-trafficking efforts, including the national anti-trafficking task force and implementation of the 2019-2024 NAP. * Train officials, including law enforcement, labor inspectors, and social workers, on the use of standard victim identification procedures and the national referral mechanism to proactively identify and refer trafficking victims to care. * Improve collaboration between anti-trafficking police units, immigration, labor, and judicial authorities. * Train law enforcement and judicial officials on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting trafficking cases. * Increase labor inspections in the informal sector and mining regions to improve identification of trafficking cases, including child forced labor. * Increase efforts to raise public awareness of human trafficking, including internal trafficking.
Speaking on prosecution, the report stated that the government decreased law enforcement efforts. especially the 2021 Revised Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons Within the Republic of Liberia criminalized sex and labor trafficking and prescribed minimum sentences of 20 years’ imprisonment, which were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as kidnapping.
It furthered that the government investigated nine trafficking cases involving 13 suspects and continued investigations of six cases involving nine suspects. This compared with investigating eight trafficking cases involving 12 suspects in the previous reporting period. The government initiated the prosecution of one defendant. This compared with prosecuting 13 defendants in the previous reporting period. Courts did not convict any traffickers, compared with four convictions during the previous reporting period. Officials continued to lack understanding of internal trafficking crimes, and some continued to view forms of trafficking, especially of children in domestic servitude, as a culturally acceptable practice rather than a crime. In addition, some prosecutors may have pursued other charges, including rape and child endangerment in lieu of sex trafficking or forced labor, because of a lack of understanding of the crime. A lack of centralized record keeping further hindered law enforcement efforts.
“The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking crimes. Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action. After an investigation into trafficking allegations involving a Liberian diplomat in the United States that occurred during previous reporting periods, authorities in the United States did not bring criminal charges. Observers reported some court clerks and prosecutors allegedly required bribes to schedule trafficking cases.” the release indicated
Also, the Liberian National Police (LNP) Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit was the primary investigator of trafficking cases. The Ministry of Labor (MOL) had the authority to prosecute trafficking and child labor cases. The Liberian Immigration Service (LIS) and Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency investigated transnational trafficking cases. The LIS Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Unit, comprised of 14 officers, stationed at least one officer at each of Liberia’s five major ports of entry and other minor ports of entry. The LNP lacked basic resources and equipment to fully respond to and investigate trafficking allegations, especially outside the capital. The National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce (NATT) organized a training event for law enforcement officials to strengthen prosecutions of trafficking cases. Officials and NGOs reported many police, prosecutors, judges, and labor inspectors lacked sufficient resources, impeding trafficking investigations and prosecutions. The government cooperated with Sierra Leonean authorities on anti-trafficking law enforcement activities.
The Release at the same time detailed that the government has made mixed efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims, with a reported 157 victims, including 151 victims of unspecified forms. The government has provided $1,500 in-kind assistance to victims, including training to start businesses. However, law enforcement, immigration, and social services personnel lack training on identifying trafficking victims and may misidentify them as other crimes. Most funding for victim assistance comes from international organizations.
The US Department said hhe Ministry of Labour (MOL) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) have been working to provide shelters and services for trafficking victims. The MOL operates three shelters, while MOGCSP operates several transit centers. However, these centers often lack basic amenities and staff. The government has arranged for an international NGO to provide shelter and services for child victims of neglect and abuse, while the LNP Women and Children Protection Section (WACPS) provides short-term accommodations for trafficking victims.
“The government faced resource constraints, particularly in rural areas, limiting services for trafficking victims. NGOs and private shelters were used, but not enough financial or in-kind assistance was provided. Shelters were limited in capacity and could not protect victims’ identities. The MOGSCP arranged foster care for child victims and collaborated with NGOs. Victims could obtain restitution and file civil suits against traffickers, but no victims filed due to lack of awareness and attorney costs. Authorities may have detained unidentified trafficking victims due to insufficient resources and training.” they noted.
The government decreased efforts to prevent human trafficking. The MOL coordinated the government’s anti-trafficking efforts and co-chaired the NATT with the Ministry of Justice. The task force also included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and MOGCSP; it continues to meet regularly. The government continued implementing the 2019-2024 NAP to combat trafficking in persons; however, it did not report allocating funds to support its implementation. In addition, the government did not report allocating funds to combat human trafficking in the 2024 budget compared with allocating $230,170 in the 2023 budget. The government conducted some activities to raise public awareness of trafficking, including through radio ads in various languages. The government reported spending $32,000 on prevention efforts, which included the MOL allocation of $5,000 to fund a trafficking and child labor awareness campaign led by trafficking survivors exploited in Oman. The government discontinued a previously reported campaign, which had collaborated with 10 local NGOs, that raised awareness in all 15 counties in Liberia.
The government supported an international organization in training officials, civil society organizations, labor commissioners, agriculture workers, and organizations on trafficking and child labor. The MOL continued to operate an anti-trafficking hotline during business hours, though observers noted it did not always appear to be operational. The government reported receiving 5,959 trafficking-related calls, but, unlike previous reporting period, it did not report referring any calls to LNP for investigation. The government conducted labor inspections but did not report identifying any child labor or trafficking victims due to those inspections. The government did not report whether inspectors received anti-trafficking training. The MOL, in collaboration with an international organization, continued its child labor mapping exercise to identify relevant community leaders and educate local officials about child labor and human trafficking issues. The government required all labor recruiters to be licensed by the government. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training to its diplomatic personnel or peacekeepers.
The government in Liberia has decreased efforts to prevent human trafficking, with the Ministry of Labour (MOL) coordinating efforts and co-chairing the National Task Force on Trafficking and Trafficking Prevention (NATT). The government did not allocate funds for the 2019-2024 NAP to combat human trafficking, and did not report allocating funds for the 2024 budget compared to the 2023 budget. The government also supported an international organization in training officials, civil society organizations, labor commissioners, and organizations on trafficking and child labor. However, the government did not reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or provide anti-trafficking training to diplomatic personnel or peacekeepers.
Over the past five years, human traffickers have been exploiting both domestic and foreign victims in Liberia, with the majority being children. They recruit victims in the country’s borders through domestic servitude, forced begging, sex trafficking, and forced labor in street vending, diamond mines, and rubber plantations. Traffickers often operate independently and are often family members who promise better lives for their children or young women. Liberian law requires parents to register children within 14 days of birth, but only 30% have obtained a birth certificate. Traffickers also exploit orphaned children in street vending and child sex trafficking.
By: Alphanso G. Kalama
