US warns Liberia of losing US assistance if TIP not amended

• The Liberian Government may lose millions of dollars of U.S. assistance if the Legislature does not amend the 2005 Trafficking in Person Law, warned the U.S. Ambassador Michael McCarthy.
•  He urged the legislators to engage in a serious effort to reform the law.

The Liberian Government may lose millions of dollars of U.S. assistance if the Legislature does not amend the 2005 Trafficking in Person Law, warned the U.S. Ambassador Michael McCarthy. He urged the legislators to engage in a serious effort to reform the law.

He pointed out that the lack of any response from the legislators reflected apathy to both traffickers and victims and that human trafficking is not their priority. Liberia’s inclusion again in the Tier Two Watch list on Trafficking was a major setback to progress. Ambassador made these observations at a meeting between and representatives from the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) met with the heads of the Judiciary. He called for the commitment of law enforcers and judiciary to make progress on Trafficking in Person (TIP) cases. He lamented that Liberian legislators have consistently failed, year after year, to make a credible effort to fight TIP. The Pandemic has made the fight against TIP even more urgent making victims more vulnerable.

 The TIP report suggested a clear action plan to train law enforcement and judicial officials on identifying ,investigating and persecuting Trafficking cases.The IDLO delegation offered a Booklet (BENCHBOOK) prepared by the IDLO to Chief Justice Francis Kporkor Sr, to help enhance the work of Judges in dealing with Trafficking Cases.