Human Trafficking in [Liberia Street Children in [Liberia] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Liberia] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic
of Liberia [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Liberia is a source, transit, and
destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor
and sexual exploitation. Most victims are trafficked within the country from
rural areas to urban areas for domestic servitude or other forms of child
labor. Displaced children in Liberia were subjected to sexual exploitation by
members of international organizations, NGO personnel, and Liberian citizens.
There have been reports of children trafficked to Liberia from Sierra Leone,
Guinea, and Cote d'Ivoire and from Liberia to The Gambia, Guinea, and Nigeria
for domestic servitude, street vending, sexual exploitation, and agricultural
labor. Awareness of trafficking in Liberia is nascent and no concrete data
exists. While there have been reports of orphanages and adoption agencies
involved in child trafficking, most appear to be cases of fraudulent adoption
rather than trafficking. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2007
[full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Mississippi
in Africa: The Promised Land Of the many tragedies set in
motion by the enslavement of African people in the United States, few are
more sorrowful than the history of Liberia. Rather than ending slavery,
Liberia became both a place of enslavement and a host to other forms of
coerced labor that differed from slavery in name only. The immigrants and
their offspring mercilessly exploited the indigenous African population. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – NGO
estimates of the number of persons trafficked to the country during the year
ranged between 20 and several hundred. Victims were trafficked within the
country and from neighboring countries for prostitution and labor. Young
children were at a particularly high risk for trafficking, especially orphans
or children from extremely poor families. Trafficking victims were often
subjected to harsh living and working conditions. There were reports of forced
labor; however, none had been confirmed. There also were reports of the
recruitment of child soldiers, but the reports had not been confirmed, and
the matter was under investigation at year's end. Traffickers enticed their victims with
promises of a better life. Parents of trafficking victims were persuaded that
their children would have better food and educational opportunities in
another country and that they would eventually return home. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2004 [58] The Committee notes that the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 18 August 2003 recognizes the special
demobilization and reintegration needs of child combatants. However, the
Committee expresses its extremely deep consternation at the very high number
of children who have been forcibly recruited into armed forces and armed
groups by all parties involved in the conflict, including children as young as
nine years old. The Committee is also concerned that these children have been
forced to carry goods and weapons, guard checkpoints and often fight in the
front line, while girls have been raped and forced to become servants of the
soldiers as well as combatants. Liberian
Ambassador To The US Wants UN To Punish Child Rights Violators The Liberian Ambassador to the
United States, his Excellency Charles Minor has called on the United Nations
to take actions against those reportedly recruiting Liberian Children to
fight as mercenaries in other countries. He said the government of Liberia is
not only condemning the practice, but also requesting the UN to bring to
justice all persons who flagrantly violate the rights of children by
recruiting them to kill, destroy or violate the rights of other innocent
people. Amnesty
International Calls for UN Resolve Only the deployment of sufficient
numbers of troops with logistical support by UN member states will provide
the protection that civilians so desperately need. An Amnesty International delegation that
traveled to The
Guns are in the Bushes - Continuing Abuses in Liberia [PDF] IV. ABUSES BY ALL THREE FACTIONS - FORCED LABOR - An employee of a church group noted that There’s a lack of food in the area to feed the fighters, that’s why this forced labor is happening. If people refuse, they are humiliated, beaten, tied, and tortured. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide Amnesty
International Report 2004 - Liberia CIVILIANS TARGETED IN ARMED
CONFLICT - Civilians
lived in constant fear of undisciplined armed groups who killed, raped,
forcibly recruited children and looted. After the peace agreement, violence
increased in some areas as command structures broke down and combatants made
last-ditch attempts to seize territory and property before deployment of UNMIL forces. The gravity of abuses against civilians
prompted an emergency report by the Acting UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights on 8 August which described the grievous abuses against civilians and
called for international support in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Rape and other forms of sexual
violence against women and girls, including those who had been internally
displaced and Sierra Leonean refugees, by government, LURD
and MODEL forces were widespread. Young women and girls were abducted and
forced into sexual slavery. Mississippi
in Africa: The Promised Land Of the many tragedies set in
motion by the enslavement of African people in the United States, few are
more sorrowful than the history of Liberia. Rather than ending slavery,
Liberia became both a place of enslavement and a host to other forms of
coerced labor that differed from slavery in name only. The immigrants and
their offspring mercilessly exploited the indigenous African population. UNMIL’s Crackdown on Trafficking Puts Women at Risk In Liberia, crime has returned
with vigor after the civil war. In addition to street crime and burglary,
there are increasing reports of Ukrainian and Moroccan women being trafficked
into Monrovia to serve as prostitutes in popular bars that double as
brothels. The UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, says it
is taking the problem seriously. UNMIL’s Civilian
Police (CIVPOL) has hired an officer to address
human trafficking. However, by not coordinating her efforts with NGOs and
other supporting organizations, her independent actions may actually be
exacerbating the problem. The people of Liberia were
harassed and intimidated by the different factions. Civilians were repeatedly
robbed and murdered. During the seven year war, villages and towns
continually changed hands, and each time a new faction moved in, they would
plunder, torture and commit atrocities.
Many children were forced to join one of the warlords. Their parents,
siblings or other villagers would be tortured until they agreed to join. US
names human trafficking offenders FORCED INTO PROSTITUTION - He added: "It is...
morally unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children
are exploited, abused and enslaved by peddlers in human misery." Apart from Greece and Turkey, the other
major offenders named were Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Georgia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Liberia, North Korea, Sudan, Suriname, and Uzbekistan. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Liberia Street Children in [Liberia] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Liberia] [other countries]