3 April 2008
analysis
The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is consistently monitoring human rights situations under the new government and releasing its findings. Following weeks of monitoring human rights activities across the country, it has come out with a latest reports.
In this latest report, the force on the human rights situation in Liberia, focusing mainly on economic, social, civil and political rights violations, sexual and gender-based violence, plus inadequate detention and educational facilities. The Analyst looks at the report.
The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has put out what it calls a combined report on the human rights situation in Liberia. The report is a combination of two quarterly reports covering the period May to October 2007.
As such, the report is not so current but however useful as a follow up of how the situation of human rights looked like some seven months ago.
According to UNMIL, it endeavors to draw attention to areas where violations of human rights in the economic and social rights may have led to violations of civil and political rights violations thereby reinforcing the concept of the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights.
One of the striking things pointed out in the report is that three parents allegedly attempted to sell their children to buy food. This incident occurred in Diahn Town, Grand Gedeh County.
It is also noted that due to poor condition of the school, children were unable to attend school and parents preferred to have their children work on the family farms rather than contribute towards rebuilding the school. This is one of the frequent violations that inundated the Liberian society, observers say.
Criminal justice system
On the criminal justice system, UNMIL quoted its Human Rights and Protection Section (HRPS) as receiving reports of extortion by LNP officials, corrupt practices by court officials and rent seeking practices by prisons authorities.
According to them, such practices do not only undermine public confidence in the entire criminal justice system but also contribute to the denial of access to justice by citizens and furthermore foster a culture of impunity.
At the same time, it is reported that some law enforcement and judicial personnel failed to fully implement the Rape Law by mishandling reports of rape, particularly as relates to dealing with medical reports. Reports of forced marriages and gender-based violence were made and some serious cases were settled out of court.
Prisons' conditions
As per the conditions at prison centers across the country, UNMIL in its quarterly painted a grime picture. It said conditions in prisons and places of detention remain below the minimum required standards and in some instances, and that there were inadequate personnel to oversee the facilities.
Referring to the Voinjama Central Prison, the report pointed that detainees were permitted to wash only twice a week due to lack of staff to supervise them while in some counties, unofficial or private detention facilities were operational reportedly by the courts or authorities within.
Regarding the criminal justice system, the report cites instances where Liberia National Police (LNP) officers, court officials and prisons authorities were found to have been involved in corrupt practices.
The report notes that corruption within the criminal justice system not only undermines public confidence in the system, but also makes it possible for justice to be subverted and for human rights violations and abuses to go unpunished.
The findings come as Liberia engages in the finals steps of the process of developing its Poverty Reduction Strategy, and it is hoped that the information contained in the report will further provide the substance for integrating a human rights based approach in government's programmes or policies.
Sexually-based violence (SGBV)
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including rape and forced marriages, remain a major challenge and some serious cases of SGBV were settled out of court.
Despite efforts by the government to implement its free Primary Education Programme, schools remain inadequately resourced, thereby limiting access to education particularly in the rural areas.
Reports of abuse of authority by government officers also continue to be made and Justices of the Peace whose mandates or appointments have expired continue to perform duties despite the expiration of their commissions.
The report has come out with recommendations to help the government address the major human rights concerns raised.
These include ensuring that the right to education is implemented effectively through the allocation of more resources to the education sector, with emphasis on schools located in rural parts of Liberia; legally prohibiting violence against children, including corporal punishment and female genital mutilation; and collaborating with the Human Rights and Protection Section of UNMIL to train LNP personnel about rights issues.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
