Bo Waterside, Grand Cape Mount County – Amid the increasing number of human trafficking cases in Liberia, Defense for Children International (DCI-Liberia) with support from Fund for Global Human Rights has embarked on a cross border child trafficking training for security personnel and community leaders in Grand Cape Mount County.
Report by Alline Dunbar,
Speaking at the start of the two-day event on Thursday, January 31, Executive Director of DCI-Liberia,
Thirty-four persons are beneficiaries of the training. They were selected from the Liberia immigration Services, the Liberia National Police and from communities.
Kawah stated that the training is a wake up call to everyone because of the United State Department’s report on trafficking which ranks Liberia as “two-third, meaning Liberia is on the red-line; Liberia has been considered as the whole destination and conduit of human trafficking within the Mano River Basin”.
At the same time, he said that 34 Sierra Leonean children were intercepted by the Joint security apparatus at the border area and they were repatriated and united with their biological parents.
Mr. Kawah stressed that the only way Liberia can be delisted internally is by all the collective efforts of all parties involved, adding that most of the trafficking activities are not done at the main border.
“We are suspecting those traditional border points along the line which do not have frequent security patrol are mostly been used to traffic children,” he averred.
Moreover, he called on the community leaders to work along with the joint security force to create a cordial relationship amongst them and ensure that the forces respond promptly to their call when there is any case of trafficking.
Also speaking at the training, the commander of the Liberia Immigration Service at Bo Water side port of entry and also the chairman of the joint security task force, Saxon Tamba stated that the objective of the task force against child trafficking is to defend, uphold and protect the image of Liberia.
Additionally, he called on his fellow participants to take the training seriously and assured that whatever knowledge gain from the training will be implemented to the best of their ability.
There are two kinds of trafficking which includes trafficking in person that involves an individual taking someone child with the sole purpose of sending them to school, but uses them as a slave in their home and the second form of child trafficking is called public or external trafficking which is done worldwide through borders, Tamba explains.