By Vaye Abel Lepolu
A coalition of international and Liberian women’s rights organizations has called on the Liberian Senate to strengthen the draft legislation establishing the proposed War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC), urging lawmakers to ensure the court fully addresses sexual and gender-based crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars.
In a formal communication addressed to Senator Cllr. Augustine S. Chea, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions, the organizations submitted detailed recommendations aimed at making the court more responsive to the experiences and rights of women and other victims of wartime atrocities.
The letter was endorsed by Global Justice, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), and the Women’s NGO Secretariat of Liberia.
According to the organizations, Liberia’s civil conflicts were marked by widespread sexual violence and other gender-based crimes committed by all armed factions. They noted that women and girls were disproportionately targeted through rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancies, forced marriages, and other forms of abuse that devastated families and communities.
The coalition argued that with several draft versions of the War and Economic Crimes Court legislation currently under consideration, lawmakers have a unique opportunity to establish a justice mechanism that is both credible and gender-sensitive.
Among their major recommendations is the inclusion of reproductive violence and forced marriage as explicit crimes under the court’s jurisdiction. They contend that these offenses have been recognized under international criminal law but remain absent from the current draft statute.
The groups also called for the court to recognize the full range of sexual and reproductive violence as war crimes and crimes against humanity, emphasizing that limiting prosecutions to rape and enforced prostitution would fail to capture the true scope of atrocities committed during Liberia’s conflicts.
The submission further recommends expanding provisions on crimes against humanity by strengthening the category of “other inhumane acts,” thereby enabling prosecutors to pursue offenses not specifically listed in the legislation.
To improve accountability, the organizations urged lawmakers to revise definitions relating to enforced sterilization and persecution based on gender. They argued that consent should not be accepted as a legal defense where force, coercion, deception, or intimidation has been used.
The coalition also called for the inclusion of a comprehensive definition of “victim” to ensure survivors of conflict-related crimes, including children born as a result of sexual violence and dependents of deceased victims, are recognized and afforded legal protections.
Beyond criminal prosecutions, the organizations stressed the importance of guaranteeing victims the right to participate in court proceedings and receive prompt, effective, and meaningful reparations for the harm they suffered.
The recommendations also seek stronger institutional safeguards within the proposed court. These include ensuring international judges form a majority on judicial panels, requiring gender expertise among judges and court personnel, promoting gender-balanced representation, and strengthening the Victims and Witnesses Unit with specialists trained in handling sexual and gender-based crimes.
In addition, the groups proposed amendments to the court’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence to provide greater protections for complainants, victims, witnesses, and persons with disabilities while ensuring the court follows international standards for handling cases involving sexual violence.
The coalition further urged lawmakers to include provisions guaranteeing humane conditions of detention for convicted persons, particularly pregnant and breastfeeding women, in line with international human rights standards.
Describing the recommendations as an important contribution to Liberia’s transitional justice process, the organizations requested an opportunity to present their proposals directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee and other relevant legislative bodies before the draft law is finalized.
The submission comes as Liberia continues efforts to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court to prosecute those responsible for atrocities committed during the country’s civil wars, a long-standing recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that has received renewed legislative attention.
