Mainstreaming Human Rights in Liberia

I know this is coming only now, but please favor us under the adage "better late than...." I have been under an avalanche of things. Please ..attached is our contribution which you and the other colleagues should feel entirely free to use as you judge best. With best regards.

Human rights constitute the bed-rock for all work undertaken to bring about people’s self-realization. The seven core international human rights instruments taken together show how inextricably intertwined the issues of as poverty, health, good governance, integrity/corruption, or even war and peace are. Each one of these problems in the Liberian context has exacerbated the state of the other. It therefore follows that only when the centrality of human rights is recognized and the attention in resource allocation it deserves given to it will the general political, economic, social and institutional deterioration be checked. For the desired results to be achieved, understanding this by the elite and particularly the leadership must be coupled with a determined will to provide people oriented governance.

The Liberian human conditions as described under the different sub-titles of the CCA calls for the prioritization of the economic, social and cultural rights even as the civil and political rights continue to be equally important. Poverty, hunger illiteracy, and ignorance are forms of human rights deprivation in which nearly 85% of Liberians live. In these conditions disease, exploitation of all manner, corruption and recruitment of children into mercenary activities are fueled. The weakness of the legal framework in the country that results in state functionaries being paid unrealistically low salaries and/or not receiving that salary at all for months is the root cause of bribery and corruption among the police service and school teachers as well as judicial officials. This state of non-respect for human rights must be addressed.

The Millennium Development Goals which the Government of Liberia set out to achieve
cannot attained without a holistic human rights based approach. Poverty must be resolutely combated if parents are to send their children to school. To improve the level of citizens’ general awareness about health or culturally harmful practices as well as raise women’s social status will only come about with increased access to education and more exposure to new ideas through literacy. Similarly enlightened parents, especially mothers will augment the chances of children being healthy, well fed and fit for hard mental work.

Focusing on the first one of the millennium goals – i.e. fighting to reduce poverty, in the Liberian context is certainly one of the surest ways to combat the excessive frequency of sexual and gender based violence. Hungry minors roam in streets either begging for food or in the case of girls attracting males with the hope of receiving some money. Parents are sometimes tricked into sending children they cannot feed to fake orphanages run by unscrupulous businessmen.

The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is on the rise but part of the explanation is the weak state protective mechanism for the vulnerable persons as described above. The provision of basic economic, social needs (rights) together with the strengthening of the law enforcement mechanism is the answer to Liberia’s current national malaise. Respect for the rule of law is the first step to political justice, democracy and peace. Human development will then follow on the heels of human rights.