MONROVIA: The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Labor has announced several steps aimed at addressing the United States Department of State’s concerns about Liberia’s fight against human trafficking.
A Labor Ministry press release issued recently quotes Labor Minister and Chairman on National Anti-Human Trafficking Task force, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah as “acknowledging the findings of the U.S. Department of State’s 2023-2924 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report, which downgraded Liberia from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List”.
The release further quotes Minister Kruah as indicating that “since the inception of this administration, Liberia has remained steadfast in addressing the root causes and consequences of trafficking in persons”.
The release also quotes Minister Kruah as outlining several measures initiated by the Government to “make Liberia a safe and secure country, free from exploitation and abuse”. According to Labor Minister Kruah, these steps include: high level dialogue meeting that brought together heads of government line ministries and agencies to discuss Liberia’s TIP intervention strategies, as well as strengthening the National Referral Mechanism and standard Operations procedures in coordination among members of The National Anti-Human Trafficking Task force.
The Labor Ministry press release further emphasized as part of Government’s strategies in the fight against TIP, a mid-year review of the 2019-2924 National Action Plan was conducted, focusing on four pillars; prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership. The Government’s official response to the United States Department of State’s concerns over TIP also include specialized training for judges, magistrates, and judicial actors to enhance prosecution efforts. Labor Minister Kruah is further quoted as revealing in the report that Government, in collaboration with partners, has increased efforts to provide repatriation and reintegration packages for trafficking victims.
The release further quotes the National Trafficking Task Force Chairman Kruah as stressing Liberia’s continuous close working relationship with international partners, including the United States Government, The International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Development Law Organization (IDLO), World Hope International and other stakeholders to strengthen national anti-trafficking initiatives.
Meanwhile, the release, signed by The Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Labor, Mr. E. Frederick Baye, quotes Minister Kruah as outlining several steps to address future challenges that could mitigate against government efforts in the fight against TIP, including developing a comprehensive five year plan (2025-2029); increasing public awareness on TIP, expanding support services for TIP victims, enhancing coordination among key stakeholders and strengthening prosecution efforts, among others.
