AME ZION UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

166 BENSON STREET,

MONROVIA - LIBERIA

English 214 Assignment Section #4

Topic: Child Trafficking in Liberia

Presented To: Mr. A. Frempong Darquah
“The Prophet”
12/16/2009

Submitted by: Marot T. Camor

ID# 9787-08
Majoring In: Accounting
Table oF contents
1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 2
2. What is Trafficking.......................................................................... 3
3. Liberia as a Trafficker.............................................................. 3
3.A. Trafficking Routes……………………………………………… 3
3.B. Factors That Contribute to the Trafficking Infrastructure..... ……... 4
3.C. Forms of Trafficking…………………………………………….. 4
4. Stakeholders Responses…………………………………………… 5
4 A. Government Responses……...........................................................5
4.B. Nongovernmental and International Organization Responses......... 5
5. Control Merchanisms…………………………………………………. 5
5. A. Prosecution………………………………………………………. 6
5. B. Protection………………………………………………………… 6
5. C. Prevention………………………………………………………… 7
6. RECOMMENDATION S.................................................................... …… 8
7. CONCLUSION..................................................................................... 9
8 Bibliography........................................................................................... 10
Introduction

A 2008 UNICEF Report has named Liberia as a source transit and destination country for
children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Most victims are trafficked
within the country, primarily from rural areas to urban areas for domestic servitude,
forced street vending, and sexual exploitation. Children are also trafficked to alluvial
diamond mining areas for forced labor. Refugees and internally displaced children in
Liberia have been subjected to sexual exploitation by some international organization and
NGO personnel. A January 2008 UN report indicates, however, that such abuses by UN
personnel have declined since the previous year. There have been reports that children are
trafficked to Liberia from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire and from Liberia to
Cote 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.

The Government of Liberia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so, despite
limited resources. Great improvements are needed in the areas of law enforcement and
victim protection. At the same time, the government undertook commendable efforts in
the area of prevention.

As a student, I have choosen to discuss child trafficking in Liberia, looking at the causes,
implications and the holistic approach by government and its national and international
partners to curve the situation.

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 What is Trafficking
The first internationally agreed upon definition of trafficking is
embodied in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the UN
Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), as follows:

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons,

by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of
abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of
vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve
the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose
of exploitation.
Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution
of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services,
slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.
The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation…
shall be irrelevant where any of the…[fore-mentioned] means…have
been used.
The recruitment, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose
of exploitation shall be considered’ trafficking in persons,’ even if it does
not involve …[any of the above listed means].
“Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age (Art. 3)

I. Liberia as a Trafficker

Trafficking Routes

Liberia is a country of origin and destination for trafficking in persons. The United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) listed it as one of the top 10 countries of origin for
children trafficked from Africa. Liberian women are trafficked to Belgium, Côte d’Ivoire,
and the Netherlands for prostitution. There are also reports of Liberian refugee women
being exploited in the sex industry in Guinea, as well as of Liberian girls trafficked for
marriage to Liberian expatriates. Liberian girls also are trafficked to the capital city,
Monrovia, where they are forced into prostitution.
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Factors That Contribute to the Trafficking Infrastructure

Trafficking in Liberian women and children for forced prostitution or labor is

exacerbated by war, poverty, and flawed or nonexistent birth registration systems,
according to a recent study by UNICEF. Poverty aggravates already desperate conditions
caused by conflict, discrimination, and repression. Because children who are not
registered at birth never formally acquire a nationality, they are easily moved between
countries. The study also found that Africa’s 3.3 million refugees and its estimated 12.7
million internally displaced persons are those most vulnerable to trafficking.
During Liberia’s 14-year civil war (December 1989 to August 2003), 200,000 people
were killed, 1.2 million were internally dispersed, and 750,000 fled the country. The civil
war has also contributed to the large number of street children, who are vulnerable to
many forms of exploitation. In 2004, the United Nations (UN) began a study to determine
the extent of sexual abuse among the civilian population during the civil war. The 3-
month project studied 4,000 people. The findings indicate that a large portion of the
population, including men, women, and children, experienced some form of sexual abuse,
such as being gang raped or being stripped for public display.
Peacekeepers in Liberia were discovered to be sexually exploiting young people; in
exchange, they gave the victims food and services.

Forms of Trafficking

Sexual exploitation and prostitution are increasing rapidly in the country.

Liberia is also a major recruitment center for child soldiers. In the summer of 2003, the
number of child soldiers being recruited in Liberia increased dramatically. The Armed
Forces of Liberia (AFL) recruited children from displaced persons camps within the
country, which were run by various international organizations and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs). The Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) recruited
children from refugee camps in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) recruited children from displaced persons camps
in Liberia and from refugee camps in Guinea. Reportedly, government officials have also
been involved in conscripting children for use in armed conflicts.
In addition, international and local sources report that the government armed forces of
Côte d’Ivoire recruit young Liberian refugees from camps in the western region of Côte
d’Ivoire. Child soldiers, a large percentage of whom are Liberian, are reportedly recruited
by armed opposition groups such as the Movement for Justice and Peace, the Ivorian
Popular Movement for the Great West, and the Patriotic Movement of Côte d’Ivoire.
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II. Stakeholders Responses

Government Responses

Before 2005, there were no specific antitrafficking provisions in Liberian legislation.

However, the constitution of Liberia outlaws slavery and forced labor. The constitution
states, “No person shall be held in slavery or forced labor within the Republic, nor shall
any citizen of Liberia nor any person resident therein deal in slaves or subject any other
person to forced labor, debt bondage, or peonage.
The law prohibits procuring a woman or a girl below the age of 16 for immoral purposes
or for prostitution (section 361 of the code of laws of 1956). Enforcement of the law is weak, however.
The Penal Law prohibits kidnapping—namely, either removing a person from his or her
place of residence or business or confining a person in a condition of “involuntary
servitude.
The Accra Peace Agreement on Liberia, reached in August 2003, contains provisions
related to child protection, including a prohibition on the use of child soldiers and
measures for their rehabilitation. The agreement requested UNICEF to help mobilize
resources to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate child soldiers into society.
The Alien and Nationality Law excludes aliens who are prostitutes, those who have been
prostitutes, and those who are entering the country to engage in prostitution. Aliens are
also prohibited if they have been supported by or received money for prostitution, if they
have or intend to procure prostitutes, or if they intend to import persons for prostitution or
another immoral purpose.
The law requires a bond of US$5,000 for any alien who plans to practice a
profession or vocation as a self-employed person. The provision guarantees the good
behavior of the alien while in Liberia and his or her prompt departure after completing
the employment.
The law penalizes any person who falsely or fraudulently makes or obtains any document
permitting entry into the country. An alien arriving in the country who is excluded from
Liberia in accordance with the law is to be immediately deported.

Nongovernmental and International Organization Responses

The National Human Rights Center in Liberia conducted a UN study on victims of sexual
abuse during Liberia’s civil war. Those findings were given to the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission.
UNICEF launched a new 3-year program in Liberia that focuses on education, protection,
water, and sanitation and targets 350,000 vulnerable and internally displaced children in
the country. Thus far, the program has provided counseling, as well as vocational and
literacy training, to 6,000 children. UNICEF also coordinated a special residential project
for former girl combatants, which provided vocational and literacy training to girls with
babies that were fathered by rebels.

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 A network of human rights organizations of the Mano River Union States of Liberia,
Guinea, and Sierra Leone met in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in late January 2004.
Trafficking in persons was one of the many human rights abuses identified. The network
urged the government of the three states to take immediate action on the human rights
concerns the network identified.

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III. Control Merchanisms

Prosecution

The Government of Liberia demonstrated limited law enforcement efforts to combat

trafficking in the last year. Liberia’s 2005 Act to Ban Trafficking prohibits all forms of
trafficking. 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 suffi- ciently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for rape.
The government investigated seven trafficking cases during the year, 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
reported 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

Liberia demonstrated minimal efforts to protect trafficking victims during the year. Due
to lack of resources, the government does not directly provide shelter or other services to
victims. However, Liberia 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 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.

Victims are not inappropriately incarcerated, fined or otherwise penalized for unlawful
acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
Prevention

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 reported lack of 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

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Recommendations
 The Liberian government and partners must increase efforts to prosecute and
punish trafficking offenders

 Allocate increased funding for basic anti-trafficking law enforcement and victim
protection needs

 Combat the trafficking complicity of government personnel in the criminal justice

system; educate judges about the law prohibiting trafficking; and increase efforts
to educate the public about trafficking.

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Conclusion
Despite efforts by government and its international partners to address the issue of
trafficking, trafficking continues to be a vital issue to reckon. The political will must be
further strengthern by ensuring that violators are prosecuted in accordance with law or
else, the situation is far from being fully addressed.

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Bibliography
The following articles were consulted for this research work on “Child Trafficking in
Liberia”

o UNICEF Trafficking report on Liberia

o UNHCR 2008 situational report
o 2004 Encorta

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