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Liberia makes significant progress in addressing trafficking in persons
80%
80% of victims of trafficking in persons are women and children.14
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50%
50% of the victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 38% for forced labor.15
Traffickers typically target vulnerable people, especially women and children, separate them from their families, and subject them to practices such as slavery, sexual exploitation, child labor, forced labor and forced marriage and other human rights violations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the plight of trafficking victims, as a result of lockdown measures, travel restrictions and other emergency public health measures imposed. Women and children in particular face heightened forms of exploitation and violence as traffickers continue to operate, in some cases moving deeper underground to evade the reach of the law.
The role of first responders – including police officers, immigration officers, prosecutors, judges, civil society and medical personnel – is essential to effectively combat trafficking in persons. However, for many of these responders, their role has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, IDLO’s program has been working to build the capacity of law enforcement officers and other stakeholders across the justice chain to effectively address human trafficking cases. Throughout 2020, IDLO worked closely with the Liberian Government to deliver in-person and online training to law enforcement officers and justice actors, supported the creation of a standardized curriculum for prosecutors and judges, a bench book for judicial officers and a legal handbook for prosecutors. The program also developed protocols for case monitoring to help law enforcement officers better identify, monitor and track cases. IDLO also partnered with the Liberian National AntiHuman Trafficking Taskforce to organize awareness raising events for the general public, which included producing a range of materials, as well as a radio drama and radio talk shows to discuss trafficking in persons.
As a result of this collaboration, significant progress has been recorded in the fight against trafficking in persons. In June 2020, the United States upgraded Liberia’s status in its 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report, elevating the country to Tier 2 after three years on the Tier 2 Watch List, thanks to what it referenced as ‘overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period’.
The response to the awareness campaign has been widely positive. “IDLO is doing a great job on human trafficking and their work aligns well with the Government of Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development which calls for eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, combatting organized crime and eradicating forced labor, abuse, exploitation and violence against children,” said a listener who called in to one of the radio talk shows.
Councillor Cornelius Wanneh, Prosecutor in Liberia
