MONROVIA — The United State Department of State has released its 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report which ranks countries based on their respective government’s response to human trafficking in the preceding year, with Liberia being ranked a Tier 2 Country on its Watch List (second to highest ranking).
By Selma Lomax, [email protected]
According to the report’s executive summary, the Government of Liberia did not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but was making significant efforts to do so.
These efforts, according to the report, included completing renovations for two victim shelters initiated in the previous reporting period and conducting awareness campaigns.
However, the report added, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period.
“The government prosecuted fewer traffickers and did not convict any traffickers. Law enforcement officials continued to lack adequate resources and understanding of trafficking to effectively investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes,’ the report added.
Victim services remained insufficient, and the government referred significantly fewer trafficking victims to care. The government did not allocate adequate funding for anti-trafficking efforts, and concerns of official complicity remained. Therefore, Liberia was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List,” the report added.
Prioritized recommendations
In its report, The United State Department of States recommended to the Government of Liberia to increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including those involved in internal trafficking and officials accused of complicity, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
It also said the government should increase the availability of protection services for all trafficking victims – including for victims outside the capital, male victims, and victims requiring long-term care – including by partnering with and allocating funding to civil society.
“Allocate financial and in-kind resources to support anti-trafficking efforts, including the national anti-trafficking task force and implementation of the 2019-2024 NAP,” the report added.
“Train officials, including law enforcement, labor inspectors, and social workers, on the use of standard victim identification procedures and the national referral mechanism to proactively identify and refer trafficking victims to care.”
The United State Department of State called on the Liberian government to improve collaboration between anti-trafficking police units, immigration, labor, and judicial authorities, and train law enforcement and judicial officials on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting trafficking cases.
It added: “The Government of Liberia should increase labor inspections in the informal sector and mining regions to improve identification of trafficking cases, including child forced labor, and also increase efforts to raise public awareness of human trafficking, including internal trafficking.”
Prosecution
Regarding prosecution, the Department of State reported that the Government of Liberia decreased law enforcement efforts. The 2021 Revised Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons Within the Republic of Liberia criminalized sex and labor trafficking and prescribed minimum sentences of 20 years’ imprisonment, which were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as kidnapping.
The government, the report further, investigated nine trafficking cases involving 13 suspects and continued investigations of six cases involving nine suspects. This compared to investigating eight trafficking cases involving 12 suspects in the previous reporting period.
The government initiated the prosecution of one defendant. Also, this compared with prosecuting 13 defendants in the previous reporting period. Courts did not convict any traffickers, compared with four convictions during the previous reporting period.
“Officials continued to lack understanding of internal trafficking crimes, and some continued to view forms of trafficking, especially of children in domestic servitude, as a culturally acceptable practice rather than a crime.”
In addition, the United State Department of State’s report added that some prosecutors may have pursued other charges, including rape and child endangerment in lieu of sex trafficking or forced labor, because of a lack of understanding of the crime. A lack of centralized record keeping further hindered law enforcement efforts, the report observed.
“The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking crimes. Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action.”
The report added that after an investigation into trafficking allegations involving a Liberian diplomat in the United States that occurred during previous reporting periods, authorities in the United States did not bring criminal charges. Observers reported some court clerks and prosecutors allegedly required bribes to schedule trafficking cases.
The Liberian National Police (LNP) Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit was the primary investigator of trafficking cases. The Ministry of Labor (MOL) had the authority to prosecute trafficking and child labor cases, the report furthered.
“The Liberian Immigration Service (LIS) and Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency investigated transnational trafficking cases. The LIS Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Unit, composed of 14 officers, stationed at least one officer at each of Liberia’s five major ports of entry and other minor ports of entry.”
The LNP lacked basic resources and equipment to fully respond to and investigate trafficking allegations, especially outside the capital. The National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce (NATT) organized a training event for law enforcement officials to strengthen prosecutions of trafficking cases. Officials and NGOs reported many police, prosecutors, judges, and labor inspectors lacked sufficient resources, impeding trafficking investigations and prosecutions. The government cooperated with Sierra Leonean authorities on anti-trafficking law enforcement activities.
Protection
Relating to protection, the report added that the government made mixed efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims.
One of such instances was that the government reported identifying 157 trafficking victims, compared to 154 victims during the previous reporting period. Of the 157 victims, two were sex trafficking victims, both women, four were labor trafficking victims, all men, and 151 were victims of unspecified forms of trafficking, including one child and 150 women.
NGOs identified an additional 40 victims of unspecified forms of trafficking, all women. Of the 157 identified trafficking victims, the government reported referring 25 victims to government and NGO services; this compared with referring 122 victims to services in the previous reporting period. The government assisted in repatriating potential Liberian trafficking victims from Oman.”
Additionally, the report observed that the government provided $1,500 of in-kind assistance to victims, including material and training to start businesses. The government had SOPs and an NRM to identify trafficking victims and refer them to care.
However, law enforcement, immigration, and social services personnel lacked training on such procedures and, at times, misidentified trafficking victims as victims of other crimes. The government reported providing $12,000 in funding for government services; however, the majority of the funding for victim assistance came from an international organization.
The MOL operated three shelters dedicated to assisting trafficking victims and completed renovations on two of the shelters initiated in the previous reporting period. The three shelters could accommodate a total of 40 victims, including men, women, and children, and one shelter was dedicated exclusively to female trafficking victims. Observers noted anecdotal reports that two of the MOL shelters may not have been fully operational.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) operated shelters for GBV victims, including trafficking victims. The government did not report how many victims were assisted at the MOL or MOGCSP shelters. The government arranged for an international NGO to provide shelter and services for child victims of neglect and abuse, which could also provide short-term shelter to child trafficking victims.
In addition, the MOGSCP operated several transit centers that could provide medical services and short-term accommodations to victims of GBV and other vulnerable populations, including trafficking victims.
Each transit center should have a social worker, a nurse trained in sexual- and GBV cases, and a police officer on staff; however, most transit centers operated with limited staff and resources and were unable to provide adequate services. Twelve LNP Women and Children Protection Section (WACPS) facilities could provide short-term accommodations to child victims of crime, and occasionally adult victims, but lacked basic amenities.
Two MOGCSP social workers continued to work inside the WACPS to assist women and children, including trafficking victims, and visit police precincts to coordinate cases.
“Resource constraints limited services for trafficking victims, especially in rural areas. The government relied heavily on NGOs and private shelters when government shelters were unavailable but did not report providing sufficient financial or in-kind assistance. Shelter and services were available to domestic and foreign victims.”
Adult victims were allowed to leave the shelters at will but subject to a curfew. Shelters sometimes could not protect victims’ identities, and victims could usually stay only three to six months because of capacity limitations. MOGSCP could arrange foster care for child victims requiring long-term care. The MOGSCP continued collaborating with NGOs through regular meetings of the Child Protection Network.
Victims were not required to participate in investigations and prosecutions to access protection services. The government provided victim-witness assistance to support participation in criminal justice proceedings. The government could provide transportation, legal assistance, and shelter services. In one case, the government provided funding to relocate a victim-witness from an MOL shelter due to safety reasons.
The anti-trafficking law allowed victims to obtain restitution. Victims could file civil suits against traffickers, although no victims filed largely because of a lack of awareness and the prohibitive costs of retaining an attorney. The government did not have a formal policy that provided alternatives to removal to countries in which victims would face retribution or hardship but could offer temporary residency on a case-by-case basis.
Due to a lack of training, insufficient resources, and inconsistent application of victim identification procedures, authorities may have detained unidentified trafficking victims.
Prevention
The government decreased efforts to prevent human trafficking, according to the report. The Ministry of Labor coordinated the government’s anti-trafficking efforts and co-chaired the NATT with the Ministry of Justice.
The task force also included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and MOGCSP; it continues to meet regularly. The government continued implementing the 2019-2024 NAP to combat trafficking in persons; however, it did not report allocating funds to support its implementation.
In addition, the government did not report allocating funds to combat human trafficking in the 2024 budget compared with allocating $230,170 in the 2023 budget. The government conducted some activities to raise public awareness of trafficking, including through radio ads in various languages.
The government reported spending $32,000 on prevention efforts, which included the MOL allocation of $5,000 to fund a trafficking and child labor awareness campaign led by trafficking survivors exploited in Oman. The government discontinued a previously reported campaign, which had collaborated with 10 local NGOs, that raised awareness in all 15 counties in Liberia.