Liberian girls reunite with family

The Government of Liberia through the National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force has announced that 14 young Liberian ladies who were repatriated from Beirut, Lebanon will immediately be re-integrated into the society.

The Government release issued in Monrovia last evening averred that it is determined to make meaningful advances in re-uniting the ladies with their families for the first time since they were returned home by a Government Delegation nearly a year ago.

According to the Taskforce Chairman and the Minister of Labour, Atty. Neto Zarzar Lighe, Sr., since the successful return of the girls, resettlement packages have been arranged with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Liberia to ensure that they are fully resettled and reintegrated into their respective communities.

At the same time, the Government of Liberia has informed and assured the young Liberian ladies that included into the resettlement package is the opportunity to benefit from several of its skills trainings and capacity building programmes (including opportunities for completing high school, college or entering into TVET programmes). These capacity building opportunities, the Chairman said will be awarded to any of the ladies so desirous through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

It can be recalled that some 14 Liberian ladies were recruited and allegedly trafficked to Beirut, Lebanon about three years ago by some Lebanese businessmen. The alleged suspected perpetrators in the TIP case including Messrs. R. Bashan Lakies, Abbas EL Debes and their Liberian collaborators (Tamba and Co…based in Liberia), as well as others (based in Lebanon) were tried in-camera with a hung jury at the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Tubmanburg, Bomi County. However, the Government through the Ministry of Justice will apply due effort to remain in contact with the ladies pending the rescheduling of a new trial.