A UN special rapporteur on Thursday urged the Liberian government to strengthen efforts to combat all forms of trafficking in persons.

The UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children Siobhán Mullally urged the Liberian government to prioritize the rights of trafficking victims. She emphasized that such rights included access to assistance and protection through safe homes and emergency shelters as well as the assurance that long-term assistance reaches victims in rural and hard-to-reach areas and at border crossings. The special rapporteur also encouraged an increase in resources and funding to combat trafficking in persons. Moreover, Mullally expressed the importance of eliminating corruption in order to strengthen law enforcement institutions to enable them to adequately deal with cases of trafficking in persons.

The special rapporteur averred that young girls from rural areas fall victim to internal trafficking, especially for purposes of domestic servitude, forced labor, and sexual exploitation in urban areas. She attributed the susceptibility of such victims to factors such as weak child protection systems, poverty, and gender inequality. Mullally also noted the contribution of social media to exposing young people to the risk of trafficking. Additionally, she expressed concern about the limited access to safe and regular migration pathways in line with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. As a result of this lack of access, there is high exposure to the risk of human trafficking through Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire to the Middle East and Europe.

The special rapporteur’s statement came after her 10-day visit to Liberia, where she held discussions with key government players in matters concerning human trafficking. She met with stakeholders from the ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Justice, Education, and Labor. She also held consultations with civil society organizations, human rights groups, and survivors of trafficking.

Article 5 of the Palermo Protocol requires states to criminalize trafficking, attempted trafficking, and any other intentional participation or organization in a trafficking scheme. Trafficking persons is also a criminal offense under Liberian domestic law under The Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons within the Republic of Liberia (2005).

The Trafficking in Persons report by the US Department of State placed Liberia in its Tier 2 Watchlist. This low ranking shows that although Liberia is making efforts to eliminate trafficking in persons, there is little progress. The main cause of the slow advancement of endeavors against the trafficking of persons is the lack of adequate resources and funding to agencies tasked with roles such as investigation and prosecution of traffickers. The Special Rapporteur also noted the lack of resources as limiting victims’ access to assistance and protection.