TRAFFICKING IS A CRIME
-CEMESP, USAID and Partners Train Journalists to Report On Trafficking In Person
By Mark N. Mengonfia- mmenginfia@gmail.com
MONROVIA-About About Twenty-five Liberian Journalists is currently undergoing a three-day training in Ganta City, Nimba County, on Trafficking In Person( TIP).
The training is aimed at equipping Journalists to identify what constitutes Trafficking-in-Person and the approaches needed to tackle it.
Speaking during the opening of the three-day training, the Program Officer of the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding, Ruth Gbatoe, indicated that the training will empower journalists to follow up and to report cases involving trafficking in persons.
She mentioned that the training is a third phase of a series of USAID’s Media Activity that is implemented by Internews in collaboration with CEMEPS.
Madam Gbatoe stressed that these participants were drawn from eight of Liberia’s 15 Countries.
She noted that those selected counties have the highest rate of human trafficking.
Those Counties she named are, Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Maryland.
The Journalists, at the end of the training, are expected to be on alert to report and investigate these abuses.
Speaking during the training, the Director of Trafficking In-Person at the Ministry of Labor, Adolphus Sartiah, urged Liberians need to be cautious when they travel abroad or how they entrust their children to others.
According to the International Organization for Migration, Trafficking In Persons ( TOP) is a form of modern-day slavery.
It involves the trading of human beings for the purposes of exploitation. This exploitation can take different forms, such as: prostitution forced and bonded labor, forced marriage, and organ harvesting.
Mr. Sartiah noted that trafficking is a serious crime and fundamental human rights violations that should be reported.
Responding to the situation where Liberians were being trafficked in Oman, he noted that the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Labor has made significant interventions to arrest the situation which he described as organized crime.
Satiah stressed that this situation is not only unique to Liberia but it is a global challenge that needs to be addressed by everyone.
“ We have hotlines for people to report cases of trafficking in Liberia.”
“The hotline is 2883 and cases are reported through said means.
“Trafficking is the second high-earning crime in the world next to drug trafficking,” Satiah added.
Some of the topics covered include The UN Conventions against TIP, the Liberian Law and best practices, Anti-Human Trafficking, Ethical Issues and Critical Analysis of the level of reporting on Human Trafficking among others. The three days training will end on Friday, April 21, 2023.