Published: August 1, 2025
MONROVIA — Family Service Liberia and the Bliss Foundation on Thursday convened a high-level workshop to strengthen Liberia’s response to human trafficking, calling for the institutionalization of a National Anti-Trafficking Day to coincide with World Trafficking Day each January 11.
Held under the theme “Strengthening Cross-Border Responses,” the forum brought together government officials, civil society actors, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders to address what organizers called one of the gravest threats to human rights in Liberia and the region.
Push for National Proclamation
Delivering the program overview, Satta Sadi Johnson, Human Trafficking Outreach Specialist at Family Service of the Piedmont, stressed the urgency of sustained national awareness.
“We want to have a proclamation signed to make January 11 a national anti-trafficking day. Let Liberia lead Africa in making that date a public priority,” she said.
Johnson emphasized that combating trafficking must go beyond policy and enter the national consciousness.
“Many of our people still don’t fully understand how trafficking works. Annual public campaigns can be transformative,” she added.
Family Service, she noted, has supported more than 28,000 victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual abuse globally in the last year alone.
“This isn’t just a job—it’s service to humanity,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen the devastation. We are committed to fighting it relentlessly.”
Law Enforcement Weighs In
Liberia National Police Superintendent Enoch Dunbar, Director of the Anti-Trafficking Division, underscored the complexity of trafficking in Liberia—both international and domestic.
“When someone is taken from Bong County to Monrovia under false pretenses, that is internal trafficking—and just as serious,” he said.
Dunbar warned of traffickers who use manipulation and deception to lure victims.
“They promise education or jobs abroad. People get excited, even raise their own funds, only to find themselves in danger,” he explained.
He described how domestic trafficking often hides behind the guise of “sponsorship,” especially of children from rural areas, who are promised education but instead become domestic laborers.
Legal Context and National Framework
Human rights lawyer Cllr. J. Alben Greaves called for unified national resistance to trafficking.
“We cannot turn a blind eye. Human trafficking robs individuals of freedom, dignity, and hope. Every sector—government, civil society, communities—must fight back,” he said.
Referencing Liberia’s 1986 Constitution, Greaves said while it laid the foundation for civil liberties, it did not explicitly address trafficking. That came later, he said, with the passage of the 2005 Act on Human Trafficking, which aligns with global standards, including the Palermo Protocol.
The Act established a National Task Force and outlined National Action Plans—the most recent of which ran from 2019 to 2024.
Broad Coalition, Shared Commitment
Participants included representatives from NGOs, legal institutions, community watch groups, and security agencies. The consensus was clear: a united national front is essential to dismantle trafficking networks and protect vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
The event marks a growing movement to integrate anti-trafficking measures into Liberia’s national policy, civic education, and justice systems.
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