5. Following the presentation of the Report at the 55th Ordinary Session,
the Commission had reiterated its request to Liberia for the immediate
transmittal of written responses to questions posed by the Commission.
The Commission deeply regrets Liberia's lack of response to requests for
additional information, including requests made to Liberia prior to the
presentation of its Report. This is especially unfortunate because time
constraints did not allow the delegation to address many concerns and
questions raised during discussions at the 55th Ordinary Session.
6. Liberia is expected to respond to the clarifications sought in these
observations and recommendations in its next periodic report, which
should be submitted to the Commission in two (2) years.
II. Positive Aspects
7. The Commission welcomes the following legislative, policy and
institutional measures taken by Liberia:
i. The National Human Rights Action Plan for Liberia of 10 December
2013;
ii. The National Gender Based Violence Plan of Action;
iii. The National Policy on Girls' Education;
iv. The National Gender Policy;
v. The Liberia Emergency Employment Program and the Liberia
Employment Action Program;
vi. Act to Amend the New Penal Code to Provide for Gang Rape;
vii. Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons; and
viii. The Establishment of the Special Court for Rape and other forms of
Violence, Criminal Court E (the Special Court for Rape), the Sexual
and Gender Based Violence Unit, the National Commission on
Disabilities, the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Land
Commission, the Liberian Extractive Industries and Transparency
Initiative, the Human and Civil Rights Committee, the Independent
National Commission on Human Rights, the National Election
Commission, the Law Reform Commission, the Ministerial Task
Force to Implement the Anti-Trafficking Act, and the Human Rights
Unit under the Ministry of Justice.
8. The Commission welcomes the ratification by Liberia of the following
regional and international instruments:
i. The OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee
Problems in Africa in 1971;
ii. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 2007;
iii. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol) in 2007;
iv. The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating
Corruption in 2007;
v. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the Optional
Protocol to CAT (OPCAT) in 2004;
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