Monrovia – Human rights defenders in Liberia are facing increasing threats ranging from intimidation, online harassment and gender-based violence to physical attacks, while a long-awaited national protection policy remains stalled, participants at the ENSURE Project Policy Dialogue have warned.

By Patience M. Jones

The dialogue, organized by Kvinna till Kvinna in partnership with Nunlai Research and Consulting at the Cape Hotel in Mamba Point, Monrovia  on Wednesday, August 5,  brought together government officials, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, researchers, diplomats and international development partners to review new evidence on the

shrinking civic space in Liberia and chart a path toward stronger protection for those defending human rights.

Speaking on behalf of the Embassy of Ireland, Development Lead Meagan Beare reaffirmed the Embassy’s support for initiatives that strengthen democratic governance, civic participation and the protection of human rights defenders in Liberia.

Presenting findings from the ENSURE Project, Lead Researcher Dr. Tanya Garnett said the study paints a troubling picture of the realities confronting human rights defenders, particularly women.

According to the research, conducted across six counties—Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba, Grand Cape Mount and River Gee—human rights defenders continue to face death threats, physical violence, sexual violence, cyberbullying, economic intimidation, stigmatization and online harassment.

The mixed-method study surveyed 100 human rights defenders, conducted 30 focus group discussions involving 193 participants and interviewed 16 key informants from government institutions, civil society and international organizations.

Dr. Garnett said one of the study’s most striking findings was that traditional and community leaders emerged as the largest reported source of threats against human rights defenders, followed closely by family members, highlighting the deep-rooted social and cultural barriers confronting activists.

“The backlash we are witnessing is not simply a rollback of rights,” she explained. “In our context, it is resistance to social change rooted in patriarchal norms, conservative traditions and weak institutional protection.”

She further disclosed that Liberia’s civic space has deteriorated, noting that the country was downgraded by CIVICUS from “Narrowed” to “Obstructed,” reflecting increasing restrictions on civic freedoms.

The research recommends the urgent enactment of Liberia’s Human Rights Defenders Protection Policy, stronger legal safeguards, improved enforcement of existing laws, enhanced cybercrime protection, increased public awareness and greater investment in community-based initiatives that challenge discriminatory social norms.

Dr. Garnett stressed that the research was never intended to end with publication. “We want these recommendations to move beyond paper and become action,” she said. “Protecting human rights defenders requires legal reforms, institutional independence and long-term efforts to transform harmful social norms.”

Delivering a presentation on “Civil Society and Policy Advocacy in Liberia: Historical Evolution and 21st Century Relevance,” Aaron Weah of the Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research urged policymakers to draw lessons from Liberia’s post-war governance reforms and transitional justice journey.

Mr. Weah argued that although Liberia has made democratic progress since the civil war, serious structural challenges remain beneath the surface.

He emphasized that the country’s youthful population, weak policy implementation and unresolved post-conflict issues pose long-term governance and security risks if left unaddressed.

Reflecting on Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Mr. Weah pointed out that the country must honestly evaluate the successes and shortcomings of previous transitional justice efforts to avoid repeating past mistakes.

He called for broader public engagement, stronger national ownership and better preparation of state institutions before implementing major accountability mechanisms.

“The opportunity before Liberia is to learn from what worked, acknowledge what failed and strengthen future justice processes,” he said.

The Executive Director of the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L), Prof. Dr. Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu, applauded the Embassy of Ireland for supporting dialogue on accountability and governance.

Cllr. Barbu stressed that research findings should not remain within conference halls but must reach ordinary Liberians.

“I ask that these reports are not kept within this room,” Cllr. Barbu said. “The information must reach the broader public because national transformation requires that citizens understand the issues affecting them.”

He also called on development partners to expand support beyond funding meetings by investing in public awareness campaigns capable of reaching communities across the country.

A major focus of the dialogue centered on Liberia’s proposed Human Rights Defenders Protection Policy, which has remained pending despite being validated more than a year ago.

During a panel discussion moderated by Luther Jeke, Chief Executive Officer of iCampus Liberia, panellists said the absence of a legal protection framework continues to expose activists, journalists, lawyers, women’s rights advocates and anti-corruption campaigners to increasing risks.

Human rights advocate, Duana Kingsley Kamara,  disclosed that the proposed policy is currently before Cabinet awaiting endorsement.

According to him, once approved, the policy will provide official recognition and protection for the work of human rights defenders while laying the foundation for future legislation.

He urged the Executive Branch to prioritize the policy, warning that prolonged delays could further shrink Liberia’s civic space.

Women’s rights advocate Hawa C. Wilson described the unique challenges confronting women human rights defenders, noting that they often face both institutional barriers and harmful gender stereotypes.

She said women advocating for political participation and human rights frequently encounter public shaming, online attacks and cultural expectations that discourage female leadership.

Madam Wilson added that social media has significantly intensified harassment, allowing misinformation, character assassination and cyberbullying to spread rapidly without accountability.

She emphasized that passing the Human Rights Defenders Policy must be accompanied by effective implementation and nationwide public education.

Also speaking during the panel discussion, Governance and Accountability Advocate,  Adama Dempster,  said Liberia has already demonstrated its commitment internationally by referencing the proposed Human Rights Defenders Policy during the United Nations Universal Periodic Review process.

He revealed that discussions with government officials indicate the policy could soon be presented before Cabinet for consideration.

Mr. Dempster argued that protecting human rights defenders ultimately strengthens democracy by enabling citizens to hold public institutions accountable without fear of intimidation.

“Human rights defenders support governance,” he said. “When they are protected, they help expose abuses, promote accountability and strengthen democratic institutions.”

Participants concluded the dialogue by calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society organizations, international partners, traditional leaders and the media to ensure that human rights defenders can operate safely and effectively.

The dialogue ended with a collective appeal for Liberia to urgently enact and implement the Human Rights Defenders Protection Policy while advancing broader legal and institutional reforms aimed at safeguarding civic space and protecting those who work to defend the rights of others.

Summary:

• A 57-year-old grandmother in Todee District says she was raped in January. Seven months later, her case has not been heard, no government official has visited her, and the family of the accused has approached her with money and gifts, asking her to drop the case.
• The head of the SGBV unit at the Ministry of Justice concedes a lack of funds has meant his office has secured just two convictions in six years.
• The vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia calls the failure to deliver justice for victims “a national emergency.”

By Tetee Gebro, gender and health correspondent with New Narratives

TODEE DISTRICT, Montserrado County — The first time they came, they brought L$18,000  (US$100). The second time the family brought a lapa, a traditional cloth.

When the family, whose 24-year-old son had been accused by multiple witnesses of raping the 57-year-old grandmother in broad daylight in front of her small grandson,  arrived with the cloth, the woman says she understood exactly what it meant.

“The boy ma bring the lapa; That the cloth her son take from on me,” she said in Liberian English. “That the cloth she come put back on me.”

She understood what the money was for too. “They are begging so I can agree so they can free their son.”

Most victims in Liberia eventually accept the money. Though the grandmother says she badly wants justice, she is beginning to think she has no choice but to do the same.

The woman’s quest for justice, documented by FrontPage Africa/New Narratives since January when she and witnesses say the crime took place, has shown the extraordinary obstacles that any victim of sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia must overcome, particularly those from rural areas. She and her community have had to raise hundreds of dollars – including to transport and detain the accused. The case was delayed when the case files, in the paper-based system, were lost. Finally the case has stalled because neither the woman nor the court have the funds to bring her to the courtroom in Monrovia.

The case has been a window into the dysfunctional justice system which has seen just two convictions in six years, says Isaac George, head of the Sexual and Gender Based Violence unit at the Ministry of Justice.

George said his unit has about 300 reported cases on his books right now. The unit has no functional forensic DNA laboratory to test semen samples and no vehicle for field visits. The only evidence they have in most rape cases rests largely on physical examinations at One Stop rape centers, which defense lawyers routinely challenge in court as opinion rather than scientific proof.

After the grandmother’s case made national news, George spoke to her by phone and told her she would have to find someone to bring her to Monrovia.  

“We do not have the means of going to Todee,” George said. “We do not have the means of shuttling from here to Todee and back. No. I blame the system. It is a systemic problem within our justice sector.”

And now, with two terms of court gone, the accused rapist, a 24-year-old identified in court records as Mohammed Bah, is eligible for bail because his case has not been heard in a timely manner. Like an 8-year-old victim whose case New Narratives exposed in February, the grandmother may soon have to live with the alleged perpetrator back in her community.

“If she doesn’t show up after two terms of court, we have no choice but to release him,” George said. “That is it.”

“Women are no longer safe,” said Bowoulo Taylor Kelly, vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia. She said the pattern in this case has become routine. And defense lawyers are now learning to game the system.

“It is a new form — the defense moving in and saying failure to proceed — and then you see rape suspects walking freely and going back and committing more rape,” Taylor Kelly said. “And then we still have this perpetual cycle of SGBV going on because people see that they are not being dealt with within the full extent of the law.”

“This should not be happening in a civilized society. It has become a national emergency,” says Bowoulo Taylor Kelly, vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia.

$22 Million EU-Funded Spotlight Project Fails to Deliver Justice

Many experts hoped things would have been better by now. The European Union’s Spotlight Initiative arrived in Liberia in 2017 as part of a 5-year $22 million partnership with the United Nations, promising to help women and girls live free from violence. (It was part of a bigger project in 8 countries in Africa). It could point to real breakthroughs: traditional leaders signed an unprecedented statement in 2019 banning female genital mutilation and closing the “bush schools” where the practice is carried out, and the country built new systems to track gender-based violence cases. But a 2023 audit by the European Court of Auditors found that the promise on paper rarely reached the women it was meant to protect. Because no law actually criminalized FGM, victims still struggled to access justice, and auditors who visited the country were told the practice continued in the very counties that had signed up to the ban. The Domestic Violence Act, approved in 2019, remained hobbled by practical and cultural obstacles — and the initiative had no way of monitoring whether any of these laws were being enforced at all.

For rural women, the gap between commitment and protection is starkest in the justice system itself. The audit found that reported cases of violence against women in Liberia fell, rather than rose, over the life of the program — from a baseline of 2,105 down to 920 — a drop that auditors said signaled the difficulty of reaching and being believed by an under-resourced system, where police and court records are often too incomplete to even classify a complaint as gender-based violence.

Attitudes appeared to harden: Liberia was one of only two African countries where the share of people who believed a man was justified in beating his wife worsened over the period measured. And with the four-year program judged far too short to shift entrenched social norms — surveyed EU officials estimated real change takes around sixteen years — much of the work risked unravelling once the money was gone, since most of the activities auditors examined in Liberia were found unlikely to be sustainable.

New Narratives’ reporting shows that the auditors warnings have come true.

A new $13 million “Spotlight 2.0.” kicked off in 2025 and runs until 2029. A Gender-Based Violence Information Management System is planned that is supposed to strengthen how cases are recorded and shared across the system. The system is meant to function as a secure national database: when a survivor reports abuse at a clinic, police station, one-stop center, or safe home, trained staff enter basic case details and the services provided, helping the government see where cases cluster, where services are missing, and whether survivors are being followed up. It is intended to improve coordination, services, and data systems with the Ministry of Gender in a central role.

Activists say the case should be a wakeup call to the government to accelerate that work. Taylor Kelly says said the SGBV unit must receive the vehicles, equipment, and budget to reach survivors where they are. She said community-level legal aid and referral systems must exist so a woman in Todee does not have to navigate a city she has never visited to access justice.

“The state cannot take a responsibility and just put it on one group of people. You will have to lead,” she said.

“Let us go to court“

After three visits from the family, the grandmother is still holding out. She knows what the money and gifts buy: her silence, his freedom, the end of a case that has already cost her more than anyone has acknowledged.

She knows her photograph went on social media after the rape. She knows what her community saw. She knows what they said about her. When the family came with their apologies and their cloth and their money, she felt all of it at once — the violation, the public humiliation, and now the quiet pressure to make it disappear.

“All that I passed through,” she said. “My picture go all on Facebook. You supposed to know that your son bring big disgrace on me. All that one — his family coming to beg.”

She still holds a belief, after months of silence from the state, that what happened to her should be said out loud in a room where people have to listen.

“Let us go to court,” she says. “Let us talk the thing that happened to me so people can understand.”

This story was produced in collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by a private donor and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The donors had no say in the story’s content.

Monrovia – An international human rights organization with consultative status at the United Nations has raised concerns about what it describes as growing discrimination and social stigma against members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in several countries, urging governments and institutions to base decisions on verifiable evidence and established legal standards rather than public perceptions.

The concerns were highlighted in a joint written statement submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Coordination des Associations et Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), an international non-governmental organization that advocates for freedom of conscience and religious liberty.

According to the statement, CAP LC warned that negative perceptions and unverified allegations originating in South Korea could influence public opinion, administrative actions, and judicial decisions in other countries if accepted without adequate scrutiny.

The organization called on governments to ensure that any decisions involving the Shincheonji Church of Jesus are grounded in objective evidence and clear legal principles, emphasizing that the rights of religious minorities should be protected regardless of public sentiment.

CAP LC argued that the issue extends beyond a single religious group and raises broader questions about how states treat minority faith communities. The organization cautioned that allowing unsubstantiated stigma to shape official actions could create precedents affecting other religious minorities around the world.

The statement cited examples from the United Kingdom and German-speaking countries, where it said members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus have reportedly faced social and professional disadvantages linked to negative public perceptions.

In the United Kingdom, CAP LC pointed to the rejection of the church’s application for charitable registration by the Charity Commission, noting that the church had been described as a “cult” despite ongoing debates over the legal definition and application of the term.

The organization expressed concern that the use of such labels in official administrative processes, without a clearly defined legal basis, could reinforce social stigma and prejudice.

In Germany and other German-speaking regions, CAP LC reported cases of alleged workplace discrimination against church members amid negative media coverage and criticism from some religious groups. The organization also referenced a book published in 2025 by evangelical activists, which it said contributed to negative perceptions of the church.

Beyond international concerns, the statement also addressed developments in South Korea, where authorities are investigating allegations involving political party memberships held by some church members.

CAP LC criticized assertions that participation by Shincheonji members in political activities automatically constitutes improper collusion between religion and politics. The organization argued that individuals should not be subjected to suspicion or discrimination solely because of their religious affiliation.

The statement called on South Korean authorities to uphold constitutional principles of religious freedom, state neutrality toward religion, and non-discrimination throughout the ongoing investigation.

The controversy intensified after South Korean authorities launched a probe into allegations related to party membership activities involving church members. On June 24, a court reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee, citing concerns that evidence could be destroyed. Five days later, prosecutors indicted Lee while he remained in detention on charges that include alleged violations of the Political Parties Act.

While legal proceedings remain ongoing, Shincheonji Church of Jesus maintains that the case should be assessed through due process and objective evidence rather than public opinion or political controversy.

The church has also questioned the necessity of Lee’s continued detention, noting that he is 95 years old and has cooperated with investigators. Church officials argue that key evidence has already been secured through searches and seizures, making prolonged detention unnecessary.

According to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the concerns outlined by CAP LC highlight a broader issue facing religious minorities globally: whether judicial and administrative institutions apply legal standards consistently and impartially when dealing with minority faith groups.

The church said the outcome of the ongoing investigations and related decisions in various countries will serve as an important indicator of how effectively governments and institutions protect religious freedom, due process, and the rights of minority religious communities under international human rights standards.

CAP LC, which holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has previously raised concerns before international bodies regarding religious freedom issues in several countries, including cases involving the Church of Almighty God in China and legal actions affecting the Unification Church in Japan.

The latest statement signals growing international attention to the treatment of religious minorities and the balance between public scrutiny, legal accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights.

Monrovia – An international human rights organization has raised concerns before the United Nations Human Rights Council over what it describes as growing discrimination and stigma against members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in several countries, calling on governments to ensure that administrative and judicial decisions are based on verifiable evidence and established legal standards.

According to a statement released by the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, the international NGO CAP LC (Coordination des Associations et Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience) submitted a joint written statement to the U.N. Human Rights Council highlighting concerns about the treatment of church members abroad.

The church said CAP LC’s submission focused less on theological controversies surrounding Shincheonji and more on the standards used by governments and institutions when assessing allegations against religious groups.

CAP LC reportedly warned that negative perceptions and unverified materials originating in South Korea could influence public opinion in other countries and potentially affect administrative and judicial decisions if not subjected to proper scrutiny.

The organization urged governments to base decisions involving the church on objective evidence and clear legal criteria rather than public sentiment or unverified claims.

According to the church, the statement also emphasized the broader implications for religious freedom, arguing that if unsupported stigma against one religious group becomes internationally accepted, other religious minorities could face similar treatment.

International Attention

CAP LC holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and has previously raised concerns before international bodies on issues involving religious freedom. The organization has been involved in advocacy related to the treatment of the Church of Almighty God in China and debates surrounding the Japanese government’s efforts to dissolve the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

The Shincheonji Church said CAP LC’s intervention demonstrates that issues involving the church have attracted international attention beyond South Korea and are increasingly being viewed through the lens of international human rights standards.

Allegations of Social and Administrative Discrimination

In its submission, CAP LC reportedly cited cases from the United Kingdom and German-speaking countries, where church members allegedly faced discrimination extending beyond public criticism into administrative actions and social exclusion.

According to the statement, the United Kingdom’s Charity Commission rejected an application by the church for charitable registration, reportedly referring to the organization as a “cult.” CAP LC argued that the use of such terminology in official proceedings, without a clear legal definition, could contribute to social stigma.

The statement also referenced reports from Germany and other German-speaking countries where some church members allegedly experienced workplace discrimination amid negative perceptions fueled by media reports and criticism from religious figures.

CAP LC expressed concern that such developments could create disadvantages for members in their professional, family, and social lives and reiterated its call for authorities to rely on verifiable evidence and legal standards when making decisions affecting religious groups.

Concerns Over South Korea Investigation

The statement also addressed an ongoing political controversy in South Korea involving allegations related to party membership by members of the Shincheonji Church.

CAP LC criticized assertions by some political actors that the participation of church members in political parties constituted evidence of inappropriate ties between religion and politics. The organization argued that individuals should not face suspicion solely because of their religious affiliation and called on South Korean authorities to uphold freedom of religion, non-discrimination, and state neutrality in religious matters.

The issue has gained increased attention following legal action involving Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee. South Korean authorities are investigating allegations connected to church members’ political activities. According to reports cited by the church, a court issued an arrest warrant for Lee on June 24, citing concerns including the possible destruction of evidence. He was subsequently indicted on June 29 on charges that reportedly include violations of the Political Parties Act.

While the case remains before the courts, the church maintains that the matter should be resolved through due process and objective evidence rather than public opinion or political controversy.

The church has also questioned the necessity and proportionality of Lee’s detention, noting his advanced age and asserting that he has cooperated with investigators.

Broader Questions on Religious Freedom

According to Shincheonji Church officials, both the discrimination cases highlighted by CAP LC and the ongoing investigation in South Korea raise broader questions about how governments and institutions should approach matters involving religious minorities.

The church argued that the issue extends beyond any single religious organization and touches on wider concerns regarding equal protection, due process, and freedom of religion under domestic and international human rights standards.

CAP LC’s submission, the church said, underscores the importance of ensuring that legal and administrative decisions involving religious groups are grounded in evidence, fairness, and the rule of law rather than societal perceptions or political pressures.

The church added that the outcome of such cases will serve as a significant test of how effectively democratic societies protect the rights of religious minorities while maintaining confidence in legal and institutional processes.

Monrovia, Liberia – The Acting Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), Cllr. Mohammed E. Fahnbulleh, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting human rights defenders and rebuilding public confidence in Liberia’s national human rights institution through comprehensive institutional reforms.

By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway

Speaking at a two-day workshop for human rights defenders in Monrovia on Friday, July 3, Cllr. Fahnbulleh described defenders as indispensable partners in Liberia’s democratic development and called for stronger legal and institutional mechanisms to safeguard their work.

He noted that the INCHR was established by an Act of the Legislature in 2005 following Liberia’s civil conflict to ensure that the country never returns to a culture of impunity, fear, and widespread human rights abuses.

As enshrined in the Commission’s mandate, which includes promoting and protecting human rights, investigating violations, monitoring compliance, advising the government, educating citizens, and serving as an independent guardian of the rights guaranteed under the Constitution and international human rights instruments, he asserted that the Commission stands ready and robust for the full implementation of those sacred roles and responsibilities.

“The primary obligation to respect, protect, promote, and fulfill human rights rests with the State,” Fahnbulleh said, emphasizing that human rights are legal entitlements rather than privileges granted by those in authority.

The Acting Chairperson acknowledged that the Commission had experienced significant setbacks in recent years due to poor leadership, which undermined its ability to effectively carry out its mandate.

“The very institution that should defend and protect rights became involved in the abuse of rights internally. Today, we have the opportunity to change that situation, rebrand the Commission, and make it impactful and relevant once again within Liberia’s human rights community.”

He pledged to work closely with civil society organizations, development partners, and other stakeholders to restore the credibility and effectiveness of the institution.

Paying tribute to Liberia’s human rights defenders, Cllr. Fahnbulleh praised journalists, lawyers, community activists, youth advocates, environmental campaigners, labor rights activists, and women’s rights defenders who continue to champion justice despite threats, intimidation, and limited resources.

The INCHR boss maintained that Liberia’s democratic gains were achieved through the courage and sacrifices of ordinary citizens who chose to stand for justice during periods of conflict and national rebuilding.

“Their sacrifices must never be forgotten,” he stated while honoring defenders who have endured harassment, arbitrary arrests, physical attacks, social exclusion, and, in some cases, lost their lives in the pursuit of justice.

Acting Chairperson acknowledged that human rights defenders in Liberia continue to face serious challenges, including harassment, threats to personal safety, misuse of legal processes, online abuse, stigmatization, and inadequate institutional protection.

To address these concerns, he announced that the Commission supports the development of a comprehensive national protection framework for human rights defenders, while at the same time disclosing that the INCHR is strengthening its complaints and hearing mechanisms to ensure allegations of human rights violations, including reprisals against defenders, are investigated independently and fairly.

Additionally, the acting Human Rights Commission boss called on the Government of Liberia (GoL), to establish clear national protection guidelines and a rapid-response mechanism involving the INCHR, the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia National Police, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders.

“Protection cannot depend upon goodwill alone. It must become institutional. It must become predictable. It must become effective,” he declared.

He further advocated for legal reforms to prevent the misuse of laws against peaceful protesters, journalists, and citizens engaged in legitimate advocacy, stressing that constructive criticism should never be treated as hostility toward the State.

Addressing Liberia’s international partners, including the United Nations, ECOWAS, diplomatic missions, and development partners, the Liberian human rights lawyer expressed appreciation for their continued support in strengthening democratic institutions and protecting civic space.

He assured human rights defenders that the Commission remains committed to standing with them despite resource constraints.

“We may not possess every resource we require, but we possess an independent mandate, and we are determined to discharge that mandate with integrity, impartiality, and courage.”

Cllr. Fahnbulleh urged human rights defenders to maintain their independence and resist political manipulation, emphasizing that human rights advocacy must remain principled, evidence-based, impartial, and focus on justice rather than political or personal interests.

He then called on all Liberians to work together toward building a society where defending human rights becomes “the ordinary responsibility of every citizen,” and where justice prevails over impunity, truth over fear, and the rule of law over the rule of power.

Monrovia — Civil society organizations, government representatives, human rights advocates and international partners have intensified calls for the adoption of Liberia’s first-ever Human Rights Defenders Policy, describing it as a critical step toward protecting activists, journalists, lawyers, community leaders and other citizens who champion human rights across the country.

By Patience M. Jones

The call was made Thursday, June 18 during a Civil Society Organization (CSO) Platform Engagement organized by the ENSURE Consortium at Murex Plaza in Sinkor. The gathering brought together key stakeholders to review and build momentum around the draft policy aimed at establishing legal and institutional protections for human rights defenders (HRDs).

Opening the dialogue, Adama Dempster, Secretary-General of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform, emphasized that while human rights are protected by law, Liberia currently lacks a specific legal framework safeguarding those who risk their lives and livelihoods to defend the rights of others.

“Human rights are based on laws, and those who work to protect human rights should also be protected by law,” Dempster declared.

“There is no law in this Republic specifically designed to protect human rights defenders. That must change.”

Dempster said civil society actors have been advocating for such protections for years and began a nationwide consultation process in 2022 with support from the United Nations Spotlight Initiative and the European Union. The consultations were held across Liberia’s regions and involved grassroots organizations, journalists, women’s groups, community leaders, and rights advocates.

According to him, the proposed policy would establish a national protection mechanism for human rights defenders facing threats, intimidation, harassment, or violence because of their work. It would also provide access to emergency support, including legal aid, relocation assistance, psychosocial services, and medical care.

“The policy is the first instrument that, if adopted, will provide a structured framework to protect journalists, lawyers, civil society actors and community leaders who often face reprisals for defending human rights,” Dempster said.

Representing Kvinna Till Kvinna (KTK), Research Officer Beatrice Newland said the engagement forms part of activities under the ENSURE Project, a regional initiative focused on addressing threats against human rights defenders, particularly women and marginalized groups.

She noted that the project has conducted extensive research in Liberia and Sierra Leone on challenges faced by defenders and is expected to release its findings soon.

“We are committed to ensuring that human rights defenders, especially women human rights defenders and vulnerable groups, operate in a safe and enabling environment,” Newland said.

Speaking on behalf of the Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (LICHRD), Chairperson Neidoteh Boye Torbor described the policy campaign as a strategic effort to strengthen collaboration among human rights organizations and improve protection mechanisms nationwide.

“We see this as an opportunity for institutional collaboration and a collective effort to defend and protect human rights without discrimination,” Torbor said.

National Civil Society Council of Liberia Chairperson W. Lawrence Yealue II argued that the rights sought under the proposed policy are already rooted in Liberia’s Constitution, particularly provisions guaranteeing freedom of expression, assembly, association, and due process.

“No politician in this country should suppress human rights defenders,” Yealue asserted. “If anyone attempts to violate those rights, we will use the courts to defend our liberties and ensure justice prevails.”

The Executive Director of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), Atty. Uriahs Teh, warned that shrinking civic space across West Africa underscores the urgency of adopting the policy.

“We are witnessing increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in the region,” Teh said. “Without adequate protections, people will become afraid to speak out, and self-censorship will replace democratic participation.”

Teh explained that the draft policy seeks to guarantee fundamental rights for defenders, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, access to international human rights mechanisms, and protection from retaliation. It also calls for legal reforms to formally recognize human rights defenders under Liberian law and strengthen investigations into attacks against them.

A key feature of the policy is the proposed establishment of a Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit under the Independent National Commission on Human Rights. The unit would receive complaints, coordinate emergency responses, conduct risk assessments, and monitor threats against defenders nationwide.

The policy also proposes the creation of a Human Rights Defenders Protection Fund to provide emergency financial assistance, legal support, relocation services, psychosocial counseling, and medical aid for defenders facing imminent danger.

Delivering remarks on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, Kutaka Devine Togbah, Director of the Human Rights Protection Division, praised the collaborative process behind the policy and urged civil society organizations to unite around a common agenda.

“When human rights actors come together, they demonstrate strength and solidarity,” Togbah said. “Government and civil society are partners in ensuring that Liberia works for everyone.”

Stakeholders concluded the engagement by reaffirming their commitment to intensifying advocacy efforts aimed at securing Cabinet approval for the policy, which they described as a major milestone in strengthening democracy, protecting civic space, and advancing the rule of law in Liberia.

If adopted, the Human Rights Defenders Policy would become Liberia’s first formal framework dedicated to protecting individuals and organizations working to promote and defend human rights.

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives

A stunning turn in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial unfolded Wednesday as one of the 12 defendants pleaded guilty and took the stand against her co-defendants.

Moments before proceedings resumed in the morning, Shelley Jonny, dressed in a blue prison uniform, moved from the dock to address the court. Her calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the expressions of the other defendants, who appeared stunned by her decision to abandon her earlier plea of “not guilty” at the trial’s opening on Tuesday.

When asked by Judge Roosevelt Willie of Criminal Court “A” whether the charges against her were true, Jonny responded:

“Some there that true. Some there is not true,” said Jonny speaking in Liberian English. “The one I see, that’s what I will talk.”

Willie then directed questions to Sennay Carlor, a public defender, about whether Jonny, one of three women among the defendants, had previously discussed her change of position with him. Carlor told the court that she had not but said he had no objection to her decision to plead guilty and testify against the other accused.

Willie ordered a 10-minute recess to allow the prosecution to meet with the witness. The parties returned with prosecutors announcing the state had dropped charges against her. Jonny was facing charges of trafficking in persons, theft of property and criminal conspiracy and was facing a minimum 20-year prison sentence.

On the witness stand, Jonny became a powerful witness for the prosecution. Experts said the defense was already facing a difficult battle with overwhelming evidence from 57 victims in the case, but Jonny’s flip against her co-conspirators may prove decisive in the jurors’ minds.

Jonny told the court she was originally a victim, recruited from Nimba County by Jonny Dahn, another accused whom the state says remains at large. Jonny said she gave Shelley Suah, another defendant, US$3000 on Dahn’s instructions with the hopes of traveling to Canada.

In a story that mirrored that of other victims, she told the court that after arriving in Monrovia, she was taken to the compound in Gbankpa Town, near the residence of Vice President Jeremiah Koung along the Roberts International Airport highway, that became the alleged holding location for all the women victims in this case. Vicitms have alleged there were as many as 150 women held at one time. Another compound held men. There she realized that she was not going to get the money or travel to Canada.

Jonny testified, that Dahn and other accused – Shelley Suah, Stanley Wonlebaye, Luther Flomo, Maxson Wonlebaye and others – directed her to bring more recruits, promising payment of $225 per week. Over time that encouragement turned to coercion through torture.

Jonny corroborated the testimony of the prosecutions’ first witness, whom FrontPage Africa/New Narratives is calling S., to protect her from retribution. On Tuesday, S. described what she said was inhumane treatment during captivity—including deprivation of food, torture and beatings—while detained at the compound. Jonny said there were about 150 people held there in total.

“Martherline [Tompia, another accused] gave me sea water to drink,” Jonny said. She said that captors used water—she said large quantities—then restricted food afterward, contributing to sickness and vomiting. “Luther used to make me to pump tire. Preston used to beat on my head. Stanley used to make be to sit down in dirty water and tell me to stretch my two hands. No food. They put you on your knees, you pump tire, they give you 15 bags of water to drink.”

She testified that sexual violence was part of the conditions in the compound, characterizing rape as a widespread practice among the captors’ tactics.

“They used to do it to other people but not me,” Johhny said during cross examination. She said that rape was the “trend,” describing a pattern in which captors allegedly used rape to pressure victims to hand over money.

Jonny said she did not immediately join other detainees who escaped the compound and went to the Paynesville courthouse to report the crimes. The women had fled the compound with the help of security personnel at Vice President Koung’s nearby compound after their captors told them that Ophelia Melway, one of their number, had died. The women said they began loud banging and screaming that got the attention of the guards. The alleged victims told New Narratives and investigators that they believed Melway had been murdered and that they, having exhausted all value to the traffickers, would also be killed. She told the court she had wanted to make clear to police that she had originally been a victim too but felt forced to become a perpetrator.

Jonny testified that she had warned the accused she was willing to testify against them.

“I told Wuo Zekarso Garteh and Jerome Genseh that ‘I am not part of you. You used to be suffering us,” said Jonny. “ The one I see, that’s it, I will talk.” She said the accused and Prince Konway, a lawyer for the accused at the start of the case in the Paynesville Magestrates’ Court, had—discouraged her from breaking away from the group saying that the case would soon be dismissed.

Jonny’s decision to cooperate with the prosecutors was hailed as a significant step toward accountability by Augustine C. Fayiah, Liberia’s solicitor general, who had taken the unusual step of appearing in court to lead the prosecution. Experts said it was a sign that the government was serious about ensuring justice was done and, importantly, seen to be done, in this case that had gained that attention of key national and international actors.

“That will tell you that their conduct is criminal,” said Fayiah. “I think that is very, very good that she testified against accused colleagues.”

In an interview, Fayiah said the government had taken seriously revelations in earlier reporting by FrontPage Africa and New Narratives that victims had alleged that traffickers told them they were paying a public defender named Bestman Juah to ensure the charges were reduced or dropped.

In the original charge sheet issued by Enoch Dunbar, the chief police human trafficking inspector, just one of the 12 defendants, and another 15 alleged offenders who have not been arrested, was charged with the most serious crime, Trafficking in Persons. Three were not charged at all. Dunbar and Juah have denied the allegations.

All jurors were sequestered (held separately during the trial to protect them from influence, bribery and intimidation) in another unusual move, designed to underscore the government’s seriousness in the case. Fayiah said security had also been increased with four armed police officers were deployed to the protected area of the Temple of Justice, the seat of Liberia’s judiciary, on Wednesday morning, with additional officers planned for Thursday.

After Jonny’s testimony, the state presented two additional female witnesses, each describing rape and coercion by the alleged captors. One witness—identified in court with the initial “P.”—testified that she was recruited from Grand Gedeh County by defendant Bill Plato with a promise of travel to Canada, describing paying $3000 for processing her passport and traveling documents. She then described abuse similar to that of Jonny. She said she was taken to the compound and kept with others under inhumane conditions, tortured and forced to call family and friends listed in her phone to lie to them that she was in Canada and persuade them to pay money too. She said she was raped by Plato.

A second witness, identified as “L.”, testified that she was raped by Maxson Wonlebaye and said she was compelled to abort a resulting pregnancy with pills.

“The next day, he brought the medicine,” said L. She first refused to take the medicine but then he forced her. She said the resulting blood loss, with no medical attention, made her fear she would die. She also said captors punished her when she would not request money from her relatives, describing forced labor in which she was tortured and forced to pump air into tires for two hours at a time.

Both witnesses described harsh treatment, and their accounts, along with Jonny’s, offered a consistent theme: coercion, confinement, and sexual violence used as mechanisms to control them and extract money.

The trial continues Thursday.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency. The funder had no say in the story’s content.

By Augusta Lafalay with New Narratives

Summary:

· Liberian mothers face a hidden postpartum depression crisis, with cultural stigma, spiritual beliefs, and lack of diagnosis leaving many to suffer in silence.

· Experts warn that inadequate screening and minimal funding are undermining maternal mental health, destabilizing families and worsening outcomes for children.

· Survivors are breaking the silence, urging compassion, public education, and systemic reforms to ensure women get treatment without shame.

For Sharon, the birth of her daughter was one of the happiest days of her life. The 35-year-old had sailed through her first pregnancy and childbirth 4-years earlier with a baby girl. But after this second birth, as the weeks passed, an invisible weight began to press down on her. As the  congratulations faded and visitors stopped coming Sharon found herself drowning in a darkness that had no name in her native Kpelle language.

Sharon had led the choir at Mount Sinai Baptist Church for eight years, her voice soaring the congregation each Sunday. But now, cradling her newborn daughter in the humid Monrovia night, she could barely summon the strength to hum a lullaby.

No one keeps data on how many Liberian women suffer from what’s known as postpartum depression, but a ministry of health survey estimated that in at least one in every five births mothers suffer from the illness in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Health officials suspect the true number is far higher in a resource-constrained nation like Liberia, where mental illness carries the weight of ancestral shame, spiritual suspicion, lack of diagnoses and support systems, and deep stigma. Women suffer in silence while their families interpret their anguish as ingratitude to God.

Dr. Nowiah Gorpu-Dolo Dennis, director of the Family Health Program at Liberia’s Ministry of Health, says she has witnessed this crisis unfold in examination rooms across the country. After more than a decade treating women in Liberia’s fragile healthcare system, she describes postpartum depression as “very common and often underdiagnosed.”

“I have personally diagnosed women years after delivery who did not realize they had postpartum depression,” Dr. Dennis said. “Many, many are suffering in silence.”

The symptoms—sleep disturbances beyond normal newborn schedules, anxiety that transforms routine tasks into undefeatable obstacles, mood swings that feel like emotional whiplash—are often dismissed as typical adjustment struggles. But for women like Sharon, the experience goes far beyond normal fatigue.

At Mount Sinai Baptist Church, Sharon became a Master of Performance. She would dress in her finest wrapper, fix her hair in elaborate braids, carry her daughter proudly in a colorful baby sling—all while feeling like she was suffocating.

“I smiled in public and died in private,” she said.

The congregation saw blessed motherhood. They had no idea that some mornings, Sharon sat on the edge of her bed for twenty minutes, summoning the energy to face another day of pretending to be whole.

Perhaps nowhere is Liberia’s mental health crisis more evident than in how families interpret severe postpartum episodes. Cultural beliefs, passed down through generations, often override medical understanding—sometimes with fatal consequences.

“Many people associate postpartum psychosis with witchcraft,” Dr. Dennis said. “Instead of seeking medical help, families often take affected women to traditional healers or prayer camps. This delay in getting proper treatment can worsen the condition significantly.”

For Sharon’s husband—a taxi driver working long hours to support their growing family—the transformation of his wife was incomprehensible. “He’d come home exhausted and ask, ‘What’s wrong with you? The baby is healthy. We have food. Why are you acting like this?” Sharon recalls.

The emotional distance between them grew like a chasm. “He would reach for me at night, and I would turn away—not from lack of love, but from lack of everything. I felt empty.”

Some nights, Sharon found herself contemplating thoughts that terrified her. “I wonder if my family would be better off without me. The thoughts scared me, but they also felt like the only logical solution to the pain.”

A second sufferer, aged 25, did not have the support of her boyfriend which made things even more difficult. When she became pregnant, she was pursuing her dreams to be a journalist when she was abandoned by her child’s father and ostracized by friends who viewed her situation as cautionary. Unlike Sharon, the second sufferer asked not to be identified for fear of stigma.

“People think pregnancy is just about money and medical care, but it is mental,” she said. “You need emotional support. I didn’t get much from the child’s father, and that broke something inside me.”

When delivery complications left her arm numb for weeks and required multiple procedures to control bleeding, Hawa’s mental state crumbled. She struggled to bond with her baby. She says the community response was merciless.

“People judged me harshly. As if my pain was entertainment,” she says.

Dr. Dennis paints a sobering picture of how untreated postpartum depression impacts entire families in a society where mothers usually serve as emotional and practical centers of households.

“The impact is devastating,” she says. “Most families in Liberia revolve around mothers. When a mother is affected by depression, it doesn’t just destabilize her—it destabilizes the entire home. It affects childcare, disrupts family dynamics, and can lead to serious marital problems.”

Experts says the absence of systematic screening makes the crisis worse. Liberia has very few psychiatrists and psychosocial therapists available in urban and rural areas, and routine screening for postpartum depression is inconsistent.

“Screening is usually done based on obvious risk factors,” Dr. Dennis says. “If a woman has documented mental health history, we probe further. But routine screening for everyone? That’s not common practice.”

For Sharon, salvation came unexpectedly in a busy corridor at Redemption Hospital during her daughter’s vaccination appointment. Comfort Mulbah, a midwife, noticed what everyone else had missed.

“Sister, you don’t look fine to me,” Comfort said. “You look like you’re carrying something very heavy.”

The words, spoken with simple compassion, broke something open in Sharon that had been sealed tight for months. “Right there in that busy corridor, I started crying and couldn’t stop. It was like a dam burst.”

Instead of offering usual platitudes about counting blessings, Comfort offered something revelatory: validation without judgment.

“What you’re experiencing has a name,” the midwife told her gently. “It’s called postpartum depression, and it’s not your fault. It’s not punishment. It’s a medical condition, and medical conditions can be treated.”

For the first time in months, Sharon felt hope. She received six months counseling in addition to prescribed medication.

For most women the biggest barrier to treatment isn’t lack of medication or facilities—it’s cultural stigma. “Many people equate any mental health struggle with being ‘crazy’ or possessed, so women hide symptoms and suffer in absolute silence,” says Dr. Dennis. “This leads to massive underreporting and prevents women from seeking treatment that could save their lives.”

Experts say the solution requires comprehensive change: systematic healthcare screening for all new mothers, cultural education campaigns, efforts to reduce mental health stigma, increased funding for services, and recognition that maternal mental health is a public health priority.

“We must talk about it in newspapers, on radio programs, in churches and community meetings,” Dr. Dennis recommends. “Many women are suffering right now. It is not witchcraft. It is not spiritual punishment. It is medical, and it can be treated.”

Sharon’s healing process has been neither linear nor easy, marked by good days and bad days. But gradually, she began recognizing herself again.

“Now, when I hold my daughter, I feel love without crushing fear,” she says. “I look at her beautiful face and see hope instead of obligation. I am still healing—I think I always will be. But I am no longer ashamed of my journey.”

She is taking the brave decision to speak out to help other women.

“I dream of communities where women can speak honestly about struggles without fear,” Sharon says. “Where seeking help is seen as responsible rather than shameful.”

Her eyes light up: “This dream isn’t impossible. It’s already beginning, one honest conversation at a time, one brave woman at a time.”

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project. The Swedish Embassy provided funding, but the funder had no say in the story’s content.

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent and New Narratives editors

Summary:

• A grand jury in Monrovia has indicted 11 people accused of trafficking and stealing from 57 victims in Liberia’s largest human trafficking case to date.
• The indictment followed a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation that exposed allegations that bribery had led police investigators to drop or reduce charges.
• The case brought international scrutiny on the government over its failure to combat human trafficking scams as more and more Liberians are caught up in them.

A grand jury in Monrovia has indicted 11 people accused of operating a sprawling human trafficking ring that prosecutors say lured dozens of Liberians with promises of jobs abroad before holding them captive, extorting money from their families and subjecting some victims to rape and torture.

The indictment comes two months after a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation exposed victims’ allegations that lawyers and police investigators had taken bribe payments to undermine the case. Delays in prosecuting the case looked likely to give the perpetrators the right to apply for bail after which they were expected to vanish as accused trafficker Cephus Selebay did in a similar case in 2022. The case is the largest human trafficking prosecution in Liberia’s history.

The investigation shone a rare spotlight on the corruption that plagues Liberia’s justice system and undermines confidence in the rule of law. It gave credence to victims claims that justice is only available to those who can pay.

It also came as researchers at the U.S. State Department are finalizing their annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Liberia has spent the last two consecutive years on the Tier-2 watchlist. A third year could mean a cut in U.S. funding.

Leading human rights advocate Tiawan Gongloe condemned the government’s failures in the case.

After the investigation was published Oswald Tweh, the justice minister, and the spokeswoman for President Joseph Boakai did not respond to requests for comment. But victims said prosecutors had retaken statements under the supervision of Sumo C. Kutu Akoi, the lead anti-human trafficking prosecutor.

According to court documents, the victims — 22 women and 35 men recruited from seven of Liberia’s 15 counties — were promised jobs in Canada or Australia. Instead, prosecutors say, they were taken to a fenced compound in Gbankpa Town, near the residence of Vice President Jeremiah Koung along the Roberts International Airport highway, where they were allegedly detained for up to a year, beaten, starved, sexually assaulted, forced to call relatives to send money and in many cases, coerced to recruit their relatives and loved ones.

Most were financially devastated by the crimes. One woman from Nimba County told FrontPage Africa/New Narratives she had sold her farm and everything she owned to raise $US16,500 to give to traffickers. Another had been forced to lure her brother with false promises that she was happily in Canada. Now their mother was on death’s door hounded day and night by debt collectors seeking repayment for money loaned to send them abroad.

In their unanimous decision, the grand jurors concluded that it was “more probable than not” that the defendants had “committed the crime of trafficking in persons, a felony of the first degree.” The indictment alleged that the accused “willfully, knowingly, intentionally and purposely agreed, conspired and extorted a total of $US124,921” from the victims between 2024 and 2025.

“The victims were coerced by the defendants to call their relatives to pay additional money to the defendants,” the indictment said, describing the acts as “slavery-like practice/labor exploitation.”

The indictment also seeks nearly $US200,000 in restitution under Liberia’s revised anti-trafficking law, including compensation for ongoing medical and psychological treatment, rehabilitation expenses already incurred by victims and their families, and emotional distress and suffering that prosecutors said continued long after the victims escaped the compound.

All 11 defendants — Bill Plato, Wuo Zekarso Garteh, Preston Godfred, Maxson Wonlebaye, Jerome Genseh, Luther Flomo, Alexander Plato, Madthianline Tompia, Shalley Jonny, Blessing Favior Suah and Stanley Wonlebaye — were indicted on charges including trafficking in persons, theft of property and criminal conspiracy. Three – Plato, Garteh and Wonlebaye -were indicted on rape charges. An additional 11 suspects remain at large, according to the indictment.

FrontPage Africa/New Narratives reported that police initially charged only five of the 11 defendants with Trafficking in Persons – the most serious of the charges which carries a minimum 20-year sentence and does not allow bail. Just one defendant – Bill Plato – was charged with rape.

Three defendants —Marthaline Tompia, Shelley Jonny and Blessing Favor Suah — who had been accused of torture, trafficking and theft by multiple victims – did not appear on the original charge sheet at all.

Victims said they believed they knew why charges had been dropped or reduced: Nine victims told police investigators and FrontPage Africa/New Narratives that their alleged captors had been openly contemptuous of the justice system. Police were “in the business,” they were told. Their captors “owned the government.” They said the alleged traffickers told them a public defender named Bestman Juah was taking $500 a week to keep them free. They said a prosecutor had told them that Juah had offered him a $7000 bribe to reduce the charges.

When he refused the bribe, victims suspected police had taken it. Enoch Dunbar, who leads the Liberia National Police Trafficking in Persons desk, and Emmanuel S. Walker, an investigator, took the victims’ statements but reduced and dropped the charges from the original charge sheet.

One of nine victims’ statements to police that name Bestman Juah as the lawyer for the traffickers. (The victim’s name is redacted for their security.)

In WhatsApp messages to New Narratives in March Juah, Dunbar and Walker strongly denied they had taken any payments.

In the grand jury indictment Trafficking in Persons, Theft of Property and Criminal Conspiracy charges were restored against all defendants. Garteh and Wonlebaye had rape charges restored.

For the victims, the indictment represented a rare sign of hope in a case they feared had stalled indefinitely.

“Right now, I am feeling a little better,” said L., a rape victim in the case whom FrontPage Africa/New Narratives is identifying by her initial to protect her from retaliation. “Since we started the case, we’ve been going to court again and again, and we weren’t hearing anything good. But at least this past Wednesday, we were able to reach the grand jury. I feel a little better because the case has taken long.”

Another victim said the indictment had changed his perspective about Liberia’s justice system, “especially for the poor,” though “from our point of view, we thought the case should have started long ago.”

“I am excited,” said a prosecutor involved in the original case, whom FrontPage Africa/New Narratives is identifying only by their middle initial, T because of a fear of retaliation. “Justice is not always conviction. But the voice of the victim must be heard before a court, and the court must make a fair determination.”

A new court term began on May 11. T. said investigators had gathered extensive corroborating testimony and evidence.

“That story is corroborated by everyone we spoke to,” the prosecutor said. “I think we have a case we can prove, and these guys will be held accountable for their actions.”

Victims said they are ready for the case.

“We are willing 100 percent to testify,” Z. said. “That’s what we’ve been pushing for.”

Liberia has struggled for years to secure convictions in trafficking cases. Between 2023 and 2024, the government lost three trafficking prosecutions. Since 2020, only 22 trafficking cases have reached Liberian courts, and just six have ended in conviction. (Uganda, by contrast, recorded 130 convictions in 2023 and 109 in 2024.)

The scale of the problem dwarfs that record. With climate change and economic turmoil driving more and more young people from subsistence farming, the number of people vulnerable to these scams is growing. Paynesville prosecutors alone say they have received reports involving hundreds of victims in recent years. In January, Nigerian police and military raided two compounds in Lagos, where victims said there were hundreds of Liberians being held.

Compounds have been discovered in Freetown and others in Monrovia. There are almost certainly victims in captivity now.

Anti-trafficking advocates said they hoped the latest indictments would demonstrate stronger enforcement efforts as Liberia faces growing international scrutiny over failures to combat human trafficking.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency. The funder had no say in the story’s content.

Monrovia — Members of Liberia’s civil society organizations are calling on the government to adopt the new Human Rights Defenders framework policy documents aimed at fostering the advancement and protection of human rights defenders across the country.

By J.H. Webster Clayeh – websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The endorsement took place on Monday, May 11, in Monrovia under the banner of the Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, a grouping of several civil society institutions.

Speaking after the endorsement ceremony, rights activist Adama K. Dempster, Secretary General of the Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, said the work of human rights defenders must be backed by legal protections.

“The adoption of the National Human Rights Defender Policy of Liberia is the way to go; we encourage the government, and we call on the government to do this without any further delay,” Mr. Dempster said. 

He added, “Those who work on human rights-related matters, there have to be laws that will protect them.”

Mr. Dempster explained that despite years of human rights advocacy in Liberia, there has never been a specific law protecting human rights defenders.

“We have seen in the past, though talking to human rights campaigners, activists, some of them went to jails, some of them were taken to courts, and there has been no law to protect them,” he said.

He noted that Liberia’s status as a signatory to the 1998 Human Rights Defenders Declaration places responsibility on the government to establish legal and policy protections.

“Moving forward, in this dispensation, we thought that since Liberia is a member and signatory to the Human Rights Defenders declaration that was adopted in 1998, it is on the government’s shoulders, it is the responsibility of the government to draft laws and put policies into place that will protect all human rights defenders,” Mr. Dempster stated.

Mr. Dempster emphasized that the protection of defenders extends beyond Monrovia and includes activists and whistleblowers operating in rural counties and concession communities.

“It is about protecting human rights defenders and whistle-blowers who are working in those counties including those concession communities, and when they are reporting, they will not face any threat or any kind of reprisals when they are doing their work,” he said.

Also speaking to journalists, Salia I. Sheriff of Green Advocates International said the organization’s work is deeply connected to grassroots communities.

According to Mr. Sheriff, grassroots defenders from across the country participated in the validation of the policy documents.

“The grassroots defenders are fully aware of this policy; they are fully aware of all the different actions about this policy,” Mr. Sheriff said.

He pointed out that one of the key protection mechanisms within the policy is community-centered.

“One of the protection mechanisms of this policy is directly linked with grassroots communities; it is a strategy that is designed around communities’ solutions,” he added.