A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Security Sector
Potential Implementation Strategy: Training for Judicial Officers
The government may wish to implement the U.N. Mission in Liberia’s proposal to provide continuous
training in the provisions of the Juvenile Court Procedural Code (JCPC) and child protection issues to
all judicial officers. The Chief Justice should consider providing written instructions to Magistrates
regarding the procedure for handling cases involving juvenile offenders. 220
Liberians living in the diaspora expressed grave concerns about the security situation in Liberia.
Improved security, both in relation to domestic crime and with regard to national security, was a
condition for return mentioned by many in the diaspora. Military and police reform was an important
part of improving the security situation, specifically ensuring professionalized and representative
police and military forces that can carry out their duties while respecting the human rights of all
Liberians.
Security Sector: Armed Forces of Liberia
Throughout Liberia’s history, the Armed Forces of Liberia has been an entity used less for defense
against foreign threats but more as a means to quell civil unrest and to enforce policies of the central
government in greater Liberia. The Armed Forces of Liberia was a major actor in the civil crises
that plagued Liberia between 1979 and 2003. Much work has already been undertaken to rebuild
and reform the Armed Forces of Liberia. The recommendations that follow do not endorse or argue
against programs currently in place but seek simply to highlight the concerns of statement givers from
the diaspora. The Advocates recommends the following:
• The Government of Liberia should maintain a long term focus on ensuring positive and
timely reform of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
• The Government of Liberia should collaborate closely with the U.N. Mission in Liberia to
maintain a rigorous vetting process for all recruits to ensure that perpetrators of human
rights violations do not become members of the newly constituted Armed Forces of Liberia.
• The Government of Liberia should work closely with international donors to ensure that,
upon U.N. Mission in Liberia drawdown, a clear plan for ongoing reform and training of the
Liberian military is in place, including sufficient funding. International partners, in particular
the United States, should recognize their responsibility in this regard and make a long-term
commitment to development and rebuilding of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
• The Government of Liberia should ensure that recruiting policies of the Armed Forces of
Liberia will lead to the creation of a military force that is representative of the diversity, both
geographic and ethnic, of the Liberian people.
436