LIBERIA: Children's Rights in UN Treaty Body Reports

Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of all UN Treaty Bodies and their follow-up procedures. This does not include the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which are available here: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/index.asp

Please note that the language may have been edited in places for the purposes of clarity.

• UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
• UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• UN Human Rights Committee
• UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• UN Committee against Torture
• UN Committee on Migrant Workers
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW/C/LBR/CO/6)

Last Reported: 31 July 2009
Concluding Observations Adopted:

Concerns Raised:

• Stereotypes and cultural practices: The Committee is deeply concerned at the persistence of harmful traditional practices, patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in all spheres of life. The Committee expresses concern that such norms, customs and practices justify and perpetuate discrimination against women, violence against women and the persistence of harmful traditional practices, including early and forced marriage and trial by ordeal. It regrets that no sustained and systematic action has been taken by the State party to modify or eliminate such harmful traditional practices, patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) View culture as a dynamic dimension of the country's life and social fabric, subject to many influences over time and therefore to change.

  (b) Put in place, without delay, a comprehensive strategy, including clear goals and timetables, to modify or eliminate negative cultural practices and stereotypes which are harmful to, and discriminate against, women and to promote women's full enjoyment of their human rights in conformity with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. This strategy should include legislation and specially designed educational and awareness-raising programmes targeting women and men at all levels of society, including Government officials, chiefs and other traditional and community leaders, and zoes (headwomen of the Sande society). It should be aimed at creating an enabling environment for the transformation and change of stereotypes and discriminatory cultural values, attitudes and practices.

  (c) Put in place monitoring mechanisms to regularly assess progress made towards the achievement of established goals. (Paragraphs 18 and 19)

• Female genital mutilation: The Committee is also extremely concerned about the persistence of female genital mutilation, which is a grave violation of girls' and women's human rights to bodily integrity and health and the State party's obligations under the Convention, and regrets that there is no law prohibiting this practice. The Committee is also concerned that the operations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in issuing permits to the practitioners represent an explicit form of support for the practice and thereby undermine any efforts to eliminate it.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) Enact without delay and as a matter of priority legislation prohibiting female genital mutilation and to ensure that offenders are prosecuted and punished in accordance with the severity of this violation.

  (b) Immediately stop issuing permits to practitioners, as is currently being done by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

  (c) Extend and accelerate implementation of programmes designed to sensitise and provide alternative sources of income for those who perform female genital mutilation as a means of livelihood.

  (d) Strengthen its awareness- raising and educational efforts, targeted at both women and men, including Government officials at all levels, chiefs and other traditional and community leaders, and zoes, to eliminate the practice of female genital mutilation and its underlying cultural justifications. (Paragraphs 20 and 21)

• Violence against women: The Committee notes with grave concern the extent, intensity and prevalence of violence against women in Liberia, especially sexual violence, both during and after the conflict. It also notes that, during the conflict, women and girls were particularly vulnerable to and affected by sexual violence. The Committee welcomes the important progress made by the State party in developing policies and establishing institutional mechanisms to address the pervasive violence against women in the country, but it remains concerned about the lack of a comprehensive legal framework to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women, and the lack of adequate services and protection for victims of violence.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) Prioritise the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive legal framework to address all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, and to accelerate implementation of existing measures.

  (b) Make full use of the Committee's general recommendation No. 19

  (c) Undertake educational and public awareness programmes through the media to convey the message that all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, are unacceptable. (Paragraphs 22 and 23)

  The Committee is also concerned that measures designed to combat and eradicate violence against women are not enforced in practice, lack coordination and remain concentrated in urban areas. It is also concerned that the police, judiciary and health-care providers lack the capacity to respond adequately to violence against women and girls in spite of efforts to train and sensitise them. It also notes that there is an excessive backlog of cases in the courts, resulting in a lack of access to justice for victims and a prevalence of impunity for perpetrators.

  The Committee calls upon the State party to:

  (a) Continue efforts to train the judiciary, law enforcement officials, legal professionals, social workers and health-care providers on violence against women so as to ensure that the perpetrators of violence against women are effectively prosecuted and punished with the required seriousness and speed, and that effective and gender-sensitive support is provided to victims.

  (b) Remove impediments women face in gaining access to justice at all levels, in all areas of the country.

  (c) Establish support measures for victims of violence, including shelters and legal, medical and psychological support, in particular for those women and girls affected by violence during the conflict, and to continue efforts for their rehabilitation and reintegration.

  (d) Provide information in its next report on the laws, policies and programmes in place to deal with all forms of violence against women and on the results achieved in the implementation of such measures, as well as data on trends in the prevalence of various forms of such violence. (Paragraphs 24 and 25)

• Nationality: The Committee notes with concern that certain provisions of the 1973 Revised Alien and Nationality Law discriminate against Liberian women. In particular, it is concerned that under this law, a child born abroad to a Liberian mother and a non-Liberian father is not automatically granted its mother's nationality.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) Remove all discriminatory laws relating to nationality, in accordance with article 9 of the Convention during the ongoing legal reform process. (Paragraphs 30 and 31)

• Education: The Committee notes that education is key to the advancement of women and that the low level of education of girls and women remains among the most serious impediments to their full enjoyment of human rights and the achievement of women's empowerment. While recognising ongoing efforts aimed at increasing enrolment and retention of girls in schools, as well as progress made in reducing the gender gap in primary school enrolment, the Committee is concerned at the persistence of structural and other barriers to quality education which constitute particular obstacles to the education of girls and young women. These barriers include lack of physical infrastructure, the persistence of gender-based stereotypes in text-books and school curricula that reinforce discriminatory attitudes against women in society, and lack of trained and qualified teachers. The Committee is also concerned about the persistence of sexual abuse and harassment of girls in schools, the negative impact of harmful traditional practices, such as early and forced marriage, on girls' education, and barriers to pregnant girls' access to schools.

  The Committee recommends that the State party:

  (a) Take steps to improve the educational infrastructure, especially in rural areas, and to raise awareness of the importance of education as a human right and a basis for the empowerment of women.

  (b) Implement measures to ensure equal access for girls and women to all levels of education and retention of girls in school, including through temporary special measures in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee's general recommendation No. 25.

  (c) Ensure that sexual abuse and harassment in schools are addressed and punished appropriately, and to remove all barriers to school attendance for pregnant girls and young mothers.

  (d) Take steps to overcome traditional attitudes that constitute obstacles to girls' and women's education, and to develop non-stereotyped educational curricula that address structural causes of discrimination against women.

  (e) Make strong efforts to improve the literacy level of girls and women through the adoption of comprehensive programmes at the formal and non-formal levels, and through adult education and training. (Paragraph 32 and 33)

• Health: The Committee is deeply concerned at the highly negative effects of conflict on Liberia's health-care infrastructure, which constitutes a grave obstacle to the access of women and girls to adequate health care and services on an equitable and equal basis, especially in rural areas. While recognising the crucial role played by the international community and non-governmental organisations in the delivery of health care and services, and noting recent steps taken by the State party in the area of health care, for example the development of the Basic Package of Health Services and the road map for accelerating the reduction of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, the Committee is concerned that the State party lacks the basic resources and capacity to implement its health-care policies and ensure the full enjoyment of women's rights under article 12 of the Convention. The Committee is particularly concerned about the alarming rates of maternal mortality, the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and the high rates of HIV/AIDS infection affecting women and girls in the country. It is also concerned at the lack of access of women, particularly in rural areas, to sexual and reproductive and health services, including skilled birth attendance and adequate post-natal care.

  The Committee encourages the State party to:

  (a) Continue its collaboration with civil society and the international community in the area of health care, including the development of physical infrastructure and human resources, with a view to strengthening its own capacity to deliver basic health care and services, including mental health, and increasing the access of women and girls to those services on an equal and equitable basis.

  (b) Make every effort to raise awareness of and increase women's access to health-care facilities, medical assistance by trained personnel, particularly in the areas of birth attendance and post-natal care, especially in rural areas.

  (c) Step up its efforts to reduce the incidence of maternal mortality and teenage pregnancy and continue to implement awareness-raising initiatives on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including those that target adolescent girls, with special attention paid to the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.

  (d) Assess the actual causes of maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS and set targets and benchmarks within a time frame for their reduction. (Paragraphs 36 and 37)

• Rural women: While welcoming the National Rural Women's Program currently under way and the attention given to gender equality in the recent Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Committee is concerned about the precarious situation of women in rural areas. These women constitute the majority of women in Liberia and are disproportionately affected by a lack of adequate health services, education, economic opportunities, social benefits and access to adequate living conditions, in particular basic sanitation and water infrastructure. As previously noted, the Committee is deeply concerned about rural women's access to justice and the enforcement of their rights under the Convention, in view of discriminatory customary laws contained in the Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Hinterland of Liberia which govern rural women. It expresses its particular concern about the prevalence of harmful traditional practices and the persistence of customs and traditions in rural areas that violate the human rights of women and girls and adversely affect their equality and advancement.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) Take appropriate measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against rural women and eradicate harmful traditional practices and those customs and traditions which justify and perpetuate them.

  (b) Pay special attention to the needs of rural women and ensure that they participate in decision-making processes, including community decision-making processes and development planning, and have equal access to basic services and infrastructure, and economic opportunities, including income-generating projects and credit facilities, on an equal and equitable basis with men and also with their urban counterparts.

  (c) Ensure that all discriminatory customary law is repealed or amended and brought into full compliance with the Convention and the Committee's general recommendations.

  (d) Remove all impediments rural women may face in gaining access to justice.

  (e) Take special measures to enhance rural women's knowledge and awareness of their rights, including their right to seek legal redress in statutory courts. (Paragraphs 38 and 39)

• Family relations: The Committee expresses concern at the persistence of discriminatory provisions in customary law and the prevalence of harmful traditional practices in contravention of articles 15 and 16 of the Convention. It welcomes steps taken to harmonise statutory and customary law in the area of women's right to property with the passage of the 2003 Inheritance Law but is concerned that women's property rights remain restricted. The Committee is also concerned that women are not allowed to appear before traditional courts without their husbands, that early and forced marriages remain prevalent, and that women do not enjoy equal rights with men in customary marriage. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of information on widows and divorce.

  The Committee urges the State party to:

  (a) Eliminate all discriminatory provisions in customary law and statutory law, so that women can enjoy the same legal rights in marriage as men.

  (b) Ensure that traditional courts' procedures comply with human rights norms and standards with a view to guaranteeing women's equal access to the courts.

  (c) Include information on widows and divorce in their next report. (Paragraphs 40 and 41)

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

(CERD/C/LBR/A/56/18)

No mention of children's rights in this report.

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UN Human Rights Committee

Ratified in 2004, but has not yet reported.

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UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Ratified in 2004, but has not yet reported.

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UN Committee against Torture

Ratified in 2004, but has not yet reported.

Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
Country visit: 6 to 13 December 2010 

Report confidential.

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UN Committee on Migrant Workers

Signed in 2004, but not yet ratified.

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UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Ratified in 2012, but has not yet reported. 

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UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance

Not yet signed or ratified. 

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