Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation & Abuse in Liberia

are incorporated into the work of the ICN. The
PSEA Coordination Officer chairs and acts as
secretariat for all three working groups, which meet
regularly. As of 2008, the wider ICN group meets
on a quarterly basis.
2.1.3 Protection Core Group (PCG)
In January 2006, the Interagency Standing
Committee (IASC) cluster approach was introduced
in Liberia with UNHCR as the lead agency. UNHCR
established a Protection Core Group Secretariat
at national and county levels1 and served as Chair
until April 2007, when responsibility for the national
activities of the PCG was handed over to the
Ministry of Justice. At county level, the handover
has been to the Ministries of Gender and Justice.
The Protection Core Groups act as the main
mechanism for coordination of protection activities
in the counties. Through this network, protection
and non-protection actors alike (UN, Government,
and CSOs) are active in efforts to respond to the
protection issues in their communities. Within the
structure of the PCG, specific sub-clusters focus
on SGBV, child protection, rule of law, land and
property. The SGBV sub-cluster is known as the
GBV Task Force at county level, and is led by the
county Gender Coordinators (See below).
To improve information-sharing and ensure
proactive follow-up of individual protection cases,
Review Committees were established country-wide
with the aim of handling each case/issue separately
by mandated partners.
In June 2006, the decision was made at the ICN
level to have the county-level PCGs act as the
ICN’s SEA coordination mechanisms in the counties
through the establishment of SEA sub-clusters.
Several PCGs decided to link the SEA sub-cluster
to the SGBV sub-cluster so as to rationalize the
use of time and human resources. A TOR was
developed (See Annex 5) for these sub-clusters,
which included developing a SEA work plan for
training, sensitization, awareness-raising and
monitoring of SEA in the counties. It is important
to note that these groups are not intended to be
a venue for reporting cases of SEA. Such cases
were to be reported to the relevant agency using its
internal SEA reporting structure.
Under the leadership of the county gender
coordinators and with support from UNHCR, 13
out of the 15 counties2 have developed standard
operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with
SGBV including SEA (See Annex 6). The SGBV
SOPs are drafted within the GBV task forces
1 Except River Cess County.
2 In two of seven offices (FO Monrovia and SO Voinjama) the
SGBV SOPs remain in draft form and are under review by the
offices and SGBV Task Force members.
5
Since 2004 UNHCR has funded an NRC implemented
Protection Monitoring Project. Some 400 monitors
together with Supervisors and Database assistants
report on individual protection cases in the communities
throughout Liberia. Since 2006, the cases reported by
monitors are handled and referred for follow up through
county “review committees” under the PCG framework.
Out of all protection cases reported in 2007, 80% came
from UNHCR/NRC monitors.
(under the auspices of Protection Core Groups) for
each county. The SOPs are intended to facilitate
collaborative and concerted actions to respond to
SGBV problems in the county. Their use has been
observed to facilitate the work of referral networks,
case prevention and response, enhanced respect
for survivors, and accountability in general.
Achievements:
• Protection and non-protection actors (UN, government
and CSO) are active in efforts to address SEA
throughout the country as members and participants
in protection networks
• SGBV referral networks exist, which can be used as
referral pathways for SEA survivor response even
though cases are not formally reported in the subcluster
• Protection-related training is provided to government,
civil society and communities, including training on
SEA awareness and response
• Standard Operating Procedures for GBV have been
developed at county level
Challenges:
• Limited capacity of Government to assume full control
of the PCG without outside support
• Low response rate and follow-up of non-SEA reported
cases among members. Only 30% of the cases
reported in 2007 received follow-up and response, due
mainly to the lack of logistics and human resources
capacity of members
• Weak law enforcement and judicial sectors are unable
to adequately play their role in protection, especially
outside Montserrado County
• Lack of capacity, funding and logistics for SEA Subclusters
to carry out annual work plans for PSEA
• Limited financial, human, and logistical resources to
bring PSEA activities to some of the more remote
districts and communities
• Need to engage non-protection-oriented organizations
in the SEA Sub-cluster
2.1.4 National GBV Task Force
The GBV Task Force in an inter-agency body
chaired by the Ministry of Gender and Development
and tasked with overall implementation of the
National GBV POA. Under the theme “One Leader,
One Team, One Program,” the Task Force is the
main policymaking and coordinating body for