GoL, Oman Discuss Protection of Liberian Women

A high-powered delegation of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce of Liberia, headed by Liberia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, is expected to meet with the Omani government next month on the safety of Liberian women in that Arab Gulf nation. 

Speaking via Zoom with his  Omani counterpart, Liberia's Minister of Labour, Cllr. Charles Gibson, said his office continues to receive too many complaints of the ill-treatment of Liberian women in Oman, including sexual abuse, demand for ransoms, brutality, disappearances, false imprisonment, and unpaid salaries, which amount to modern-day slavery.

It can be recalled that the Ministry of Labour warned the Oman government to halt the issuance of visas to Liberians seeking employment in the southwestern Asian country.

The warning came as a result of the Arab country having become a hotspot for trafficking. Many women from Africa, including Liberia, are trafficked there, tricked into promises of a better life waiting for them but end up working as domestic servants. 

Its kafala system of employment ties migrant workers to the employer who brings them to the Gulf, allowing widespread exploitation to persist, despite years of campaigning by human rights groups.

In Oman, employers confiscated passports, paid trafficking victims very small salaries, forced them to work excessively long hours without breaks or days off, or denied them adequate food and living conditions. Some said their employers physically abused them, and a  few complained of sexual abuse.

Such were the experiences of 27 women from Liberia before their repatriation recently. 

But Gibson further expressed concern that, despite the commitment made by the Omani Government to the Liberian Government in September last year not to grant visas to Liberian women seeking domestic employment in Oman, the flow of Liberian ladies from Liberia and neighboring countries to Oman continues unabated.

He acknowledged that the situation is largely caused by some criminal gangs and individuals operating undercover in both countries but observed that the Omani government is not doing much to arrest the situation.

Gibson noted that the Liberian government would like to work with the Omani government to resolve the issues and put the situation under control for the mutual interests of both countries.

He further disclosed that a low-income country like Liberia has spent nearly three million US dollars over the last few years to combat human trafficking, which is causing serious strains on its budget to have those victims rescued, repatriated, rehabilitated, and resettled.

Gibson stressed the need for the Omani government to create a safe environment for the Liberian women in that country while the process of dialogue is taking place between the two countries. 

In response, the Omani Labor Minister, Dr. Mahad bin Said bin Ali Baawain, promised to work with the Omani Foreign Ministry to receive the Liberian delegation in February to sit at the dialogue table to put things under control in the interests of both countries.

Dr. Baawain expressed regret that the issue of human trafficking has affected the bilateral relationship between the two countries and committed to working closely with Liberia to identify and root out criminal gang operatives in both countries that are fueling the situation. He also promised to have the Omani security forces focus more on protecting Liberian ladies in Oman.

He alluded to the inflows of Liberian women to Oman despite the visa ban on those women transiting through third countries and using foreign travel documents to enter Oman. 

Meanwhile, it was agreed that modalities would be worked out to ensure that the Liberian delegation visits Oman in the middle of February (next month).

The delegation will be headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah; Jr., Cllr. Gibson; Minister of Justice, Cllr. Musa Dean and Gender Minister Saydee-Tarr.

The delegation will be expected to spend three days in Oman, during which time it will have a meeting with the Liberian community in that country, make presentations, and discuss a 102-page complaint compiled by the UNODC and the Liberian security apparatus to ensure that actions are taken by the Omani government to arrest and prosecute the culprits to serve as deterrence.

The Liberian delegation will also receive and discuss proposals from the Omani government on issues such as an MOU to ensure the protection of Liberians working in or seeking to work in Oman, the establishment of diplomatic relationships between both countries, and other bilateral interest areas.

A high-power delegation from the Government of Oman will later this year be visiting Liberia to further strengthen bilateral relationships, including economic and investment opportunities.

The Zoom meeting was facilitated by Liberia's Foreign Minister, who is himself a member of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce.