The Government of Liberia (GOL), through outgoing Labour Minister Charles Gibson has released its annual report on human trafficking of In-persons, with a call for the filing of a lawsuit against the Government of Oman for its non-cooperative posture towards providing assistance leading to the arrest and subsequent prosecution of individuals who trafficked and abused Liberian women and girls in Oman.
By Obediah Johnson
Minister Gibson observed that though Liberia does not have a diplomatic relationship with Oman, many Liberians have been trafficked there.
According to him, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC has developed a comprehensive dossier, outlining the names of 50 Liberian girls who were trafficked and sexually abused in Oman along with the names and addresses of their alleged perpetrators.
The UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
But releasing the report at the Ministry of Labour in Congo Town, outside Monrovia recently, Minister Gibson disclosed that the Omani government has not been cooperating with Liberia to ensure the arrest and prosecution of human traffickers involved.
He said Liberia has held further discussions to pursue ways for the filing of a lawsuit against Oman at the International Criminal Court.
“We tried several means to establish contact with the Omani government for the Task Force to go there. They have not said no, but they have always put impediments. One of the things we discussed at the conference is to file a lawsuit at the International Criminal Court.”
“It is one thing to prosecute the little people around here and to repatriate and rehabilitate the victims. But, what about the perpetrators? The Omani government is not willing to sit around the table to discuss with countries that are bearing the burdens to repatriate, rehabilitate and resettle the victims at a very high cost for poor countries then of course, we take them to court.”
According to him, a special committee was setup at the international conference to formulate a blueprint for eight West African countries, including Liberia to file a lawsuit against the government of Oman for “a damage of close to US$50billion.”
Already, Minister Gibson disclosed, that the Liberian government has invested US$350,000 and nearly US$200,000 in 2021 and 2022 respectively to repatriate, host and maintain safe homes for its trafficked citizens.
He said government has also provided resettlement packages and entrepreneurship training for its citizens who have been rehabilitated.
No funding
Speaking further, Minister Gibson observed that the lack of adequate funding is hindering the combat against human trafficking in Liberia.
He disclosed that government did not succeed in prosecuting a single human trafficking case in 2023 due to the lack of funds.
He said since the beginning of 2023, the government’s Task Force on human trafficking has not been successful to receive funding from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
As a result of this, Minister Gibson added, that prosecution of more cases has been a challenge to the government because; private lawyers couldn’t be hired.
“The Ministry of Justice is overwhelmed with all types of cases including murder and theft. This term of court, the task force identified some money that was not in the budget and we were about take some funds from the revenue enhancement of the Ministry of Labor and started to do some work on prosecution.”
He put the cost of a single human trafficking case to US$7000 in leeward areas and US$5000 in Montserrado.
Minister Gibson said despite limited support, government and its partners have been making efforts to combat against the act.
According to him, a special section has been established at the Liberia National Police (LNP) to combat against human trafficking in the country.
He said though human trafficking is a crime being fought against by state security actors; criminals are still involved in the practice.
Minister Gibson disclosed that as part of those efforts, the government has established a special department that is fully equipped at the LNP to speedily investigate cases of human trafficking.
He said the move is intended to ensure that human trafficking cases being sent to court have strong evidential backings to be won by the state.
He stated that seven cases from the department were sent to court for prosecution, with the government winning six of those cases.
“We saw the need to ensure that the department at the police is unique or different from other departments and is focus only on human trafficking.”
Minister Gibson maintained that the government also focused on strengthening prosecution of suspects linked to human trafficking, by hiring private lawyers who went through series of symposiums and trainings.
He recalled that in 2022, there was a drop in human trafficking cases due to the speedy prosecution of cases.
According to him, many of the perpetrators were sent to prison for more than 20 years each.
Despite their incarceration, Minister Gibson noted that, these perpetrators were luring Liberian girls to Guinea, where the laws are lenient for easy transport to neighboring Sierra Leone.
He added that their counterparts in those neighboring countries have been providing necessary information, or taking them off planes and sent back home.
He said the government also instituted Standing Order # 3, which among other things, calls for individuals involved or suspected of travelling for the purpose of seeking job opportunities, but engaged into human trafficking, to be “put down from the plane.”
“Lots of girls who went to the airport were deplaned and a guy who was working with the National Security Agency (NSA) and facilitated them was arrested, tried and now he’s serving 20 years in prison.”
Minister Gibson, however, used the occasion to commend members of the 54th National Legislature for the amendment of the human trafficking law of Liberia, which among other things calls for 20 years imprisonment of human traffickers and the payment of civil liabilities for causing psychological damages to the victims.
He said the properties of those involved with human trafficking can also be confiscated and auctioned by the court.
Minister Gibson noted that vehicles transporting victims of human trafficking or landlords knowingly housing perpetrators could also be auctioned and risk being incarcerated.
He indicated that victims of human trafficking were previously being kept in motels in various communities, but they are staying at three modern “save homes” in Bomi, Todee and Duazon.
He pointed out that about 16 West African countries have agreed to adopt Liberia’s human trafficking law as a module to curtail the spread of the act.
Minister Gibson, however, disclosed that the release of the report provides partners and government the opportunity to know about happenings of human trafficking, outline challenges and how those challenges can be addressed.
