Published: April 28, 2025
Temple of Justice, Monrovia — The Monrovia City Court has ordered the imprisonment of five women accused of trafficking 14 Liberian children to Burkina Faso.
The arrest took place on Friday, April 13, 2025, when officers from the Liberia Immigration Service apprehended the group at the Red Light Market while they were attempting to leave the country. The minors, consisting of seven boys and seven girls aged between 11 months and eight years, were found traveling with the women.
The children were identified as Julia Doko, 2; Wellington Fofana, 11; Sedia Dukuly, 3; Prince Dukuly, 4; Varney Dukuly, 5; Bendu Dukuly, 4; Halimata Dukuly, 8; Bill Mulbah, 6; Sampson Momo, 1; Odella A. Sackor, 2 years and 4 months; Prayer Blaye, 5; Hawa Rejoice Blaye, 2; Josephine Dukuly, 11 months; and Marie Bryant, 7.
The defendants were identified as Halimatu Daramy, who was found with eight children; Fanta Doe, with two children; Hawa Kamara, with one child; Henrietta Beaye, with three children; and Grace H. Sesay.
During police investigations, the women admitted they were heading to Burkina Faso in pursuit of an International Organization for Migration (IOM) resettlement package. They said they had previously traveled to Mali in March 2025 seeking the same package but were unsuccessful. Upon returning to Liberia without benefits and in debt, they decided to travel again, this time taking along children of relatives and friends.
According to the police charge sheet, most of the children were not the biological offspring of the defendants. Specifically, Daramy had custody of eight children, only one of whom was her biological child. Doe traveled with two children — her own and her sister’s daughter — while Kamara was traveling with her 2-year-old daughter. Beaye had three children, none of whom were biologically hers, and Sesay, who had no children of her own on the trip, was entrusted with three children by Daramy.
Authorities noted that after their return from Mali, the defendants received 50,000 Liberian dollars from the Ministry of Gender and a church organization to assist with resettlement, but they refused to use the funds for their intended purpose.
Investigators alleged that the women, motivated by the prospect of gaining financial benefits through the resettlement program, knowingly endangered the lives of the children by attempting to transport them through sub-Saharan regions known for conflict and instability.
Although investigators said they could not conclusively establish human trafficking under Liberian law, they charged the five women — Daramy, Doe, Beaye, Kamara, and Sesay — with endangering the welfare of children, a violation of Section 16.4 of Liberia’s Penal Law.
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