A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Personal Integrity & Dignity: Prohibition of Slavery
Despite a clear prohibition of slavery in Liberia’s constitution, 187 Liberia’s history includes documented
forced labor, slavery-like practices, 188 as well as a “ward” system.” 189 In addition, factions during the
civil war employed forced recruitment, forced labor, and sexual slavery. As a result, the Government
of Liberia must adopt an effective anti-slavery regime including national legislation, policy, and
programming. The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and
Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, Especially Women and Children; and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights provide a guiding framework on the elimination of slavery and involuntary servitude. The
Advocates recommends the following:
• The Government of Liberia should take all practicable and necessary legislative and other
measures to abolish the following institutions and practices where they still exist and whether
or not they are covered by the definition of slavery contained in Article 1 of the Slavery
Convention signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926:
o Debt bondage; 190
o Serfdom; 191
o Any institution or practice whereby:
A woman, without the right to refuse, is promised or given in marriage on
payment of a consideration in money or in kind to her parents, guardian,
family, or any other person or group; or
The husband of a woman, his family, or his clan has the right to transfer her
to another person for value received or otherwise; or
On the death of her husband, a woman is liable to be inherited by another
person;
o Any institution or practice whereby a child or young person under the age of 18 years
is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another
person, whether for reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or
young person or of the child’s labor. 192
• The Government of Liberia should support Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) initiatives to continue to establish legal and regulated migration between
countries in the sub-region. 193
• In consideration of the fact that modern forms of slavery are directly related to poverty,
the international community must fully support Liberia’s plans for poverty eradication with
funding, technical, and logistical support.
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