Article 6.1 0f the Children‟s Law guarantees that “No expectant mother or mother of a child below the age of 5
shall be imprisoned with her child. If necessary, the confinement of a convicted mother expectant mother or a
mother of a young child shall be in a separate prison facility with her child where the child can continue to
enjoy the nurture of his or her biological mother, including where appropriate, being breastfed by such mother.
Where there is none such facility, in the best interest of the child, the child shall be placed in a caregiver
facility.”
(iii) Reformation, integration of the mother into the family and social rehabilitation (Article 30(f))
d) Children in situations of exploitation and abuse:
Article III, Section 21.1 of the Children‟s Law guarantees every child the right to be protected from sexual
exploitation and sexual abuse and exploitation including prostitution. The law further mentions in Section 21.2
that „Provisions of the Penal law and other legislations whose intent is to protect the child from sexual
exploitation shall be construed with the child‟s best interest as the primary consideration.”
With support from UN Agencies, the Government has achieved some key results in the period 2008-2012,
including the development of a mental Health Policy and Comprehensive Psychosocial Training manual,
establishment of psychosocial community network and recruitment of counselors and increased access to
psychosocial support services for 513 girls, boys and women who were survivors of sexual and gender based
violence.
The Government of Liberia has envisaged and extended the National Action Plan for the Prevention and
Management of Gender-Based Violence, 2011-2012 with a separate pillar for psychosocial support issues. The
revised plan envisages provision of holistic psychosocial support services to victims of violence in all 15
counties through recruitment and training of 2 counselors for each county, nationwide awareness raising on
gender based violence and its psychosocial consequences and building of 30 safe homes for survivors of
violence and abuse.
In the framework of the UN Joint Program on Gender Based Violence, an Endowment fund has been
established to provide support to survivors of gender based violence. The fund was distributed to the 15
counties. Communities comprised of representatives from the Superintendents‟ offices, the Ministries of Health
and Social Welfare, Justice, Gender and Development, and the civil society were established in all 15 counties
to oversee and ensure the transparent distribution of the funds.
The Sexual and Gender based violence Unit was established in 2009 by the Ministry of Justice has a mandate
for providing victim support services to women and children and the expansion of the unit is envisaged in Bong
County to provide victim support services to 3 counties.
(i) Economic exploitation including
Child Labor (Article 15)
Article III, section 20.1 states: Every child shall be protected from work that and other practices that may
threaten her or his health, educational, spiritual, physical, and moral development.”
The Children‟s Law further states in section 20.2 the : A social worker or probation officer shall have the power
to treat a child involved in work and other practices as described in subsection I of this section as a child in need
of care under this law.”
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