Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation & Abuse in Liberia

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where implementation of the National GBV Plan of Action (see below) is set as a priority. Addressing sexual exploitation and abuse – a form of SGBVtakes place within this context. • National Plan of Action for GBV (POA). Launched on 30 November, 2006, the POA is the result of multilevel consultations between GOL, the United Nations system, local and international NGOs, and local communities. The POA outlines strategies for the prevention of SGBV and the care of survivors using a holistic and multi-sectoral approach across 5 pillars: Health, Psychosocial, Legal, Security/Protection and Coordination. • National Plan of Action for Women 2008-2011. In May 2008, a National Women’s Conference was organized by the Ministry of Gender and Development with support from the United Nations and other partners as a forum for over 350 Liberian women to discuss the issues affecting their lives and to identify key strategies to address them. The outcome document advances protection and response to SEA as one of three major areas for government programming for the next three years. In order to implement the commitments described above, GOL has developed several response structures including: • National GBV Task Force. Established to implement the National GBV POA, the Task Force is chaired by the Ministry of Gender and Development, and comprises all stakeholders: national and international NGOs, UN agencies, CBOs and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Information. It is a forum for priority setting, information sharing, and coordination around GBV and SEA. The Task Force is divided into two pillars. The Health and Psychosocial Pillar chaired by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Legal, Security and Protection Pillar chaired by the Ministry of Justice. • County Gender Coordinators. Coordinators represent the Ministry of Gender and Development at the county level and have a strong reporting mandate relating to protection issues including GBV and SEA. They are also responsible for building alliances among women and children organizations and networks, mainstreaming gender and protection in programs and plans of the county authority and supporting coordination of Protection Core Groups at the county level. The county gender coordinators chair the GBV Task Force meetings in the counties and are therefore the main link on coordinating SEA activities at county level. • GBV Unit. Established in the Ministry of Gender, the GBV Unit is responsible to collect and analyze data, share information, coordinate activities and direct policy interventions relating to the implementation of the POA. • Criminal Court D. To prosecute sexual offence cases, staff of this dedicated Court now receive specialized training. There are currently two full-time judges 2 assigned to the court. The court will have state-ofthe-art audio/visual equipment to ensure anonymity of victims and witnesses in line with international standards. • GBV Prosecution Unit in the MOJ. This unit will enhance the Government’s ability to prosecute GBV cases. By 2009, part of the unit will be mobile to reach cases outside Monrovia. • Women and Children’s Protection Section of Liberian National Police. This structure is now present in 13 of the 15 counties, with national coverage expected in the near future. The officers have been trained to investigate cases, refer survivors and charge perpetrators in a respectful and effective manner. 1.3 Humanitarian Response 1.3.1 The United Nations The United Nations presence in Liberia consists of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), the latter being made up of all UN agencies, funds and programmes present in Liberia, including the World Bank. Currently there are 12,529 peacekeepers from 48 countries and 1,160 police from 39 countries supporting the government’s efforts to maintain peace and security in Liberia. UNMIL also has 1,808 international and national civilian staff and 219 United Nations Volunteers. The mission is headed by the Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG), Ellen Margrethe Løj, who has two Deputy SRSGs for Rule of Law and Recovery and Governance. Liberia benefits from an integrated mission given the presence of both the peacekeeping mission and the UNCT. The Deputy SRSG for Recovery and Governance is also the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and Resident Coordinator (RC). Under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Liberia 2008-2012, the United Nations family has teamed up to support the Government’s priorities as set out in the PRS and to “deliver as one”. In addition to mainstreaming gender in all activities, there are specific provisions in the UNDAF that relate to addressing SGBV in particular. One important manifestation of the United Nations unified support to government priorities under the PRS, UNDAF and GBV POA is the development of a joint GOL and UN programme to Prevent and Respond Sexual Gender Based Violence. The four-year programme coordinates UN support to the implementation of the National GBV POA and mirrors the pillar structure set out in the GBV POA. The programme includes various interventions for prevention of SEA.
Within the UN system, implementation of the zero tolerance policy on SEA is taken seriously. Each year, the Heads of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes write an open letter to staff reminding them of their obligations and responsibilities to adhere to the SGB. (Annex 1). Additionally, Liberia is the only country in the world with a dedicated post in the Resident Coordinator’s office of the UNCT focused solely on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. There is a close working relationship between the UNMIL Conduct and Discipline Unit and the UNCT Coordination Officer for PSEA, as well as the Government and NGO coordination mechanisms described below. UNMIL has a Conduct and Discipline Unit (CDU), which is responsible to address conduct issues relating to all categories of personnel. The primary aim of the CDU is to help ensure that UNMIL personnel abide by UN Core Values, UN Rules and Regulations as well as UN Administrative Instructions. The CDU focuses on the prevention and identification of misconduct, in particular SEA. 1.3.2 Non-Governmental Organizations There is a large number of humanitarian and development NGOs in the country, both local and international. Many international NGOs have organized themselves in a body called the Management Steering Group (MSG) with the aim of improving the coordination of humanitarian and development assistance. The MSG currently has fifty-eight members, a permanently employed Liaison Officer (LO), and an Executive Committee (ExCo). The MSG has come to function as a first 3 port of call for Government authorities and other organizations wanting to establish contact with the international NGO community in Liberia. It has been used as a means to include its members in the activities of the ICN. Regarding local NGOs, there are several umbrella organisations through which SEA activities can and have been coordinated: • FLY – Federation of the Liberian Youth is an umbrella network that represents and coordinates Liberian youth organizations across the counties. Youth associations are supported to be involved in community development activities. • HRPF - Human Rights Protection Forum comprises some twenty human rights NGOs involved in monitoring and evaluating human rights violations in the country. HRPF coordinates the activities of its members and produces regular reports on the human rights situation in Liberia. Member organizations are involved in the range of human rights issues, including GBV and Child Protection. • LINNK - The Liberian NGO Network has 237 members across the country and is an umbrella group with a focus on information-sharing and capacity development for member organisations. LINNK has a National Coordinating body, a General Assembly and a Secretariat. This body has been used as a partner in SEA awareness and response capacity building locally. • WIPNET – Women in Peace-building Network contains 19 sub-branches (or members) in 9 counties. This group is involved in women’s empowerment and peace-building projects and is working closely with women's development associations in the counties to raise awareness against SGBV.
Page 1 and 2: Prevention and Response to Sexual E
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 5: 1.0 Introduction This note starts b
Page 9 and 10: are incorporated into the work of t
Page 11 and 12: Anti Rape Campaign Since January 20
Page 13 and 14: a major gap countrywide. As a resul
Page 15 and 16: 4.0 Annexes 4.1 UNCT Letters to Sta
Page 17 and 18: United Nations Country Team 13
Page 19 and 20: Qualifications and Experience: •
Page 21 and 22: . Record the details of the allegat
Page 23 and 24: 4.5 TOR for SEA Sub-Clusters of Cou
Page 25 and 26: 11. Forced (Early) Marriage: occurs
Page 27 and 28: Number of Persons Total Persons Pro
Page 33 and 34: 4.8 SEA Campaign Work Plan SEA Camp
Page 35 and 36: SEA Campaign Workplan 2007 Funds Re
Page 37 and 38: SEA Campaign Workplan 2007 Funds Re
Page 39 and 40: 4.10 Press Release, 30 June 08 Thou
Page 41 and 42: Outputs Status Responisble Organiza
Page 43 and 44: 4.12 Next Steps for PCGs on PSEA in
Page 45 and 46: 4.13 SEA Reporting Template 1. Date
Page 47 and 48: Photographs: Christopher Herwig Des

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