VZCZCXRO1768
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0736/01 1721145
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211145Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8779
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1419

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PRM, AF/W, DRL 
USAID FOR AFR/WA-SSWIFT 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM EAID KWMN UNMIL LI
SUBJECT: USG-FUNDED PROGRAMS RAISE AWARENESS OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION 
AND ABUSE IN LIBERIA 
 
REF: A) STATE 112531 (B) 06 MONROVIA 302 
(C) 06 MONROVIA 627  (D) 06 MONROVIA 651 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT (USG)-FUNDED PROGRAMS IN LIBERIA HAVE 
STRENGTHENED COORDINATION, RAISED AWARENESS, AND PROVIDED 
STANDARDIZED INVESTIGATIVE AND REPORTING TOOLS TO THE HUMANITARIAN 
ASSISTANCE COMMUNITY IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND 
ABUSE (SEA) IN LIBERIA. 
 
¶2.  USAID'S OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) 
FUNDING SUPPORTS A UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM (UNCT) SEA 
COORDINATOR.  IN ADDITION, USAID/OFDA AND THE U.S. STATE 
DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION (PRM) 
CO-FUND A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) SEA COORDINATION UNIT 
AND RESOURCE CENTER.  APPROXIMATELY 900 U.N. STAFF AND 
REPRESENTATIVES FROM 59 U.N. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS HAVE RECEIVED SEA 
AWARENESS TRAINING OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS.  SEA AWARENESS AND 
INVESTIGATIVE AND REPORTING TRAINING SESSIONS CONTINUE FOR FOCAL 
POINTS FROM INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL NGOS, AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT OF 
LIBERIA (GOL) MINISTRIES.  MEMBERS OF THE COUNTRY-WIDE PROTECTION 
CORE GROUPS (PCG), CHAIRED BY THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, CONTINUE TO 
RECEIVE SEA AWARENESS TRAININGS.  SEA SUB-CLUSTER GROUPS HAVE BEEN 
ESTABLISHED UNDER THE PCGS WITH CLEAR TERMS OF REFERENCE.  PUBLIC 
AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS ARE ONGOING AND COORDINATED THROUGH THE 
INTERAGENCY GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) TASKFORCE CHAIRED BY THE 
MINISTRY OF GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT. 
 
¶3.  WHILE ATTITUDE CHANGE IS DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY AND QUALIFY, IT 
IS CLEARLY EVIDENT THAT THAT THESE USG-FUNDED PROGRAMS HAVE FOCUSED 
A BRIGHTER AND MORE SWEEPING SPOTLIGHT ON THE ISSUE OF SEA AMONG THE 
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE COMMUNITY, THE GOL, AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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¶4.  ALLEGATIONS OF SEA SURFACED DURING A JOINT SAVE THE CHILDREN/UK 
(SC/UK) AND OFFICE OF THE U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES 
(UNHCR) ASSESSMENT MISSION TO LIBERIA, SIERRA LEONE, AND GUINEA IN 
¶2002.   THE TEAM RECEIVED NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SEA IMPLICATING 
HUMANITARIAN WORKERS, INCLUDING LOCAL STAFF. AS A RESULT, THE U.N. 
INTERAGENCY STANDING COMMITTEE (IASC) AND THE INTERNATIONAL RED 
CROSS MOVEMENT ESTABLISHED A TASK FORCE ON "PROTECTION FROM SEA IN 
HUMANITARIAN CRISES" AND FORMULATED A PLAN OF ACTION TO RESPOND TO 
THE ISSUE.  USG EFFORTS TO COMBAT SEA INCLUDED THE REQUIREMENT THAT 
IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS ADOPT A STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT CONSISTENT WITH 
THE IASC PRINCIPLES.  USAID/OFDA PROVIDES FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL 
SUPPORT TO THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY INTERNATIONAL ACTION 
(INTERACTION), WHICH ESTABLISHED A PROTECTION WORKING GROUP TO FOCUS 
ON A VARIETY OF PROTECTION ISSUES INCLUDING SEA. 
 
¶5.  DESPITE CONCERTED EFFORTS BY DONORS AND THE HUMANITARIAN 
COMMUNITY, AN SC/UK REPORT IN LATE 2005 AGAIN FOUND, BASED ON FOCUS 
GROUP MEETINGS RATHER THAN ACTUAL REPORTED CASES, THAT CHILDREN 
STILL WERE HAVING SEX WITH ADULTS PERCEIVED TO HAVE WEALTH OR 
STATUS; AGAIN INCLUDING RELIEF WORKERS, PEACEKEEPERS, COMMUNITY 
LEADERS, AND TEACHERS.  USAID/OFDA RESPONDED BY PROVIDING SUPPORT TO 
THE BUILDING SAFER ORGANIZATIONS (BSO) PROJECT, CO-MANAGED BY 
INTERACTION AND THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES 
(ICVA).  THE BSO PROJECT, THROUGH REGIONAL FIELD BASED TRAININGS AND 
WORKSHOPS, HELPED BUILD THE CAPACITY OF NGOS TO RESPOND TO 
ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE BY PROVIDING ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE TOOLS TO 
IMPLEMENT SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE REPORTING SYSTEMS AND TO CARRY OUT 
HIGH-QUALITY, LEGALLY SUSTAINABLE INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
RECENT USG ACTIONS TO COMBAT SEA IN LIBERIA 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
--UNCT SEA COORDINATOR-- 
 
¶6.  IN FY 2007, USAID/OFDA JOINED THE UNCT IN CO-FUNDING A FULL-TIME 
SEA COORDINATOR, WHICH WAS A PRIORITY FOR THE IN-COUNTRY NETWORK 
(ICN) CHAIRED BY THE DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SECRETARY 
GENERAL (DSRSG).  DEVELOPED BY THE U.N., THE ICN ACTS AS THE PRIMARY 
BODY FOR THE COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT ON PREVENTION AND RESPONSE 
TO SEA BY PERSONNEL WORKING FOR THE U.N., ITS PARTNERS, 
INTERNATIONAL NGOS, AND OTHER HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE WORKERS. 
 
¶7.  SINCE THE UNCT COORDINATOR'S ARRIVAL IN JUNE 2006, 898 U.N. 
STAFF AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM 59 U.N. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS HAVE 
RECEIVED SEA AWARENESS TRAINING.  ALL U.N. AGENCIES IN THE FIELD AND 
IN MONROVIA HAVE SEA FOCAL POINTS AND MEET ON A MONTHLY BASIS. 
 
MONROVIA 00000736  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8.  THREE-DAY PCG FOCAL POINT TRAININGS RECENTLY CONCLUDED IN 
MONROVIA AND BONG COUNTIES, WHILE SIMILAR TRAININGS ARE BEING ROLLED 
OUT TO THE OTHER COUNTIES. (NOTE: CORE PROTECTION GROUPS, WITH UNHCR 
AS SECRETARIAT, ARE THE UMBRELLAS FOR COORDINATION AND RESPONSE ON 
PROTECTION ISSUES.  END NOTE).  THIRTY-THREE PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 
THE MONROVIA TRAINING WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM LOCAL AND 
INTERNATIONAL NGOS, U.N. AGENCIES, AND GOVERNMENT BODIES SUCH AS THE 
LIBERIAN REFUGEE REPATRIATION RESETTLEMENT COMMITTEE (LRRRC), 
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, AND MINISTERY OF GENDER.  ALL THE NGOS WERE 
REPRESENTED BY LOCAL STAFF THUS HELPING SUSTAINABILITY AND CAPACITY 
DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE LIBERIAN HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY. 
 
¶9.  PCGS AT THE NATIONAL AND COUNTY LEVEL NOW HAVE SEA SUB-CLUSTERS 
WITH CLEAR TERMS OF REFERENCE DEVELOPED BY THE UNCT SEA COORDINATOR, 
ENABLING ORGANIZATIONS TO EFFECTIVELY BUILD CAPACITY, SHARE 
INFORMATION, AND COORDINATE SEA ACTIVITIES. 
 
¶10.  THE UNCT SEA COORDINATOR, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NATIONAL GBV 
TASKFORCE, USED THE "DAY OF THE AFRICA CHILD" ON JUNE 15 AS A 
PLATFORM FOR COUNTRYWIDE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS FOCUSED ON THE 
PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TO SEA WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ACTIVITIES 
IN THE SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES WHERE AN AWARENESS GAP HAS BEEN NOTED. 
THE FIRST SUCH CAMPAIGN WAS LAUNCHED ON DECEMBER 4, 2006, BY 
PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF AND THE SUBSEQUENT ROLL-OUT HAS BEEN 
PRIORITIZED BY THE NATIONAL GBV TASKFORCE CHAIRED BY THE MINISTRY OF 
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT.  THE UNCT COORDINATOR INTENDS TO FORM 
INTERAGENCY MONITORING TEAMS THAT WILL UNDERTAKE FIELD VISITS IN 
NOVEMBER TO ASSESS THE CAMPAIGNS' IMPACT. 
 
--NGO SEA COORDINATING UNIT-- 
 
¶11.  USAID/OFDA AND STATE/BPRM ARE CO-FUNDING A SEA PROTECTION 
INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC), 
IN COLLABORATION WITH SC/UK, AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE (ARC), AND 
CHRISTIAN CHILDREN'S FUND (CCF).  THROUGH THIS PROJECT, ENTITLED 
"COMBATING SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE IN LIBERIA" (CISEAL), IRC 
HAS ESTABLISHED A SEA COORDINATION UNIT AND RESOURCE CENTER 
PROVIDING TECHNICAL SUPPORT, EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, AND TRAINING TO A 
NETWORK OF INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL NGOS AND THE GOL IN AN EFFORT TO 
PROMOTE COMMON DEFINITIONS, DEVELOPMENT OF CODES OF CONDUCT, 
PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES, INCLUDING MUTUALLY ACCEPTED MECHANISMS FOR 
THE INVESTIGATION, REPORTING, AND REFERRAL OF SEA VIOLATIONS. THE 
PROJECT ALSO HELPS FACILITATE LIAISON, COORDINATION, AND 
COLLABORATION WITH THE U.N. AND ITS AGENCIES. 
¶12.  CISEAL FACILITATORS HAVE RECENTLY CONDUCTED TRAINING SESSIONS 
ON PROPER AND LEGALLY ACCEPTABLE PROCEDURES FOR THE INVESTIGATION 
AND REPORTING OF SEA VIOLATIONS FOR 16 LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL NGOS, 
AS WELL AS SEA AWARENESS TRAINING FOR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STAFF FROM 
20 INTERNATIONAL NGOS.  CISEAL HAS PROMOTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
FOCAL POINTS IN ALL HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS AND PROVIDED FOCAL 
POINT TRAINING TO OVER 20 INTERNATIONAL NGOS, 30 LOCAL NGOS, AND 
GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES INCLUDING THE MINISTRIES OF AGRICULTURE, 
PUBLIC WORKS, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCE, 
INDUSTRY, TRANSPORT, JUSTICE, EDUCATION, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC 
AFFAIRS, FINANCE, LABOR, HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE, AND GENDER. 
CISEAL HAS FURTHER PROMOTED FOCAL POINTS AND CONDUCTED TRAINING FOR 
STAFF FROM THE LRRRC, ROBERTS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AND THE BUREAU 
OF IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION. 
¶13.  IN ADDITION TO THE TWO USG-FUNDED PROGRAMS, THE CONFLICT AND 
DICIPLINE UNIT (CDU) WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN LIBERIA 
(UNMIL) HAS CONDUCTED SEA AWARENESS TRAINING TO 5265 UNMIL STAFF 
SINCE 2006. 
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CONCLUSION 
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¶14.  USG-FUNDED SEA AWARENESS AND MITIGATION PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO 
GALVANIZE STAFF OF THE HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY AND GOL TO NOT ONLY BE 
AWARE OF SEA, BUT ALSO UNDERTAKE A COMMON APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT 
EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND THAT "ZERO TOLERANCE" IS THE RULE OF THE DAY 
AND THAT SEA VIOLATIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED, REPORTED, AND ACTED 
UPON IN A CONSISTENT, LEGAL, AND COORDINATED APPROACH.  WHILE THE 
IMPACT OF PUBLIC  CAMPAIGNS HAS YET TO BE QUANTIFIED OR QUALIFIED, 
ONE CAN SAFELY DEDUCE THAT THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS INCREASINGLY 
AWARE OF SEA ISSUES AND ITS ACCOMPANYING RESPONSIBILITIES TO BUILD 
SAFER COMMUNITIES FOR ALL ITS MEMBERS. 
 
BOOTH