The Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia has sent five women to jail for allegedly trafficking 14 Liberian children to Burkina Faso. On Friday, April 13, 2025, a case was filed of an alleged Human Trafficking involving 14 children who were traveling along with four women before being arrested by the Liberia Immigration Service at the Redlight Market.
The minors include seven males and seven females, ranging from 11 months to eight years old, while the defendants in person are Halimatu Daramy in custody of eight children, Fanta Doe in custody of two children, Hawa kamara, in custody of one child, Henrietta Beaye in custody of three children and Grace H. Sesay.
During police investigation with the five defendants, Halimatu Daramy, Hereitta Beaye, Grace H. Sesay, Hawa Kamara, Famata Doe admitted to the police that they, along with the fourteen children, were going to Burkina Faso for the IOM Resettlement Package.
According to the defendants, they first went to Mali, but they were not successful and were brought back to Liberia in March 2025 without benefits, owing people a lot of money; thus, they decided to take the children of their relatives along with their own children on the trip.
Based upon the situation, an investigation was conducted and the following facts were established: that the five defendants had previously gone to Mali in March 2025 to have gotten the IOM Resettlement Package where they were not successful.
The investigation alleged that four of the defendants were influenced and encouraged by Halamatu Daramy to take such a risky journey with the minors. These defendants were rescued from Mali and brought back to Liberia, where they received fifty
50,000LD through the Ministry of Gender and a Church Organization to get back home which they refused to do. According to the investigation, the five defendants were not satisfied with the amount received, but decided to take another trip to Burkina Faso with fourteen children out of whom most of the children are not their biological children.
The women, according to police charge sheet, knowingly, purposely and willfully took, these minor children to risk and endanger their lives into the sub-Saharan where there reports of war and other bandit activities are ongoing in the name of getting IOM Resettlement package based on the number of children you will have.
However, the police could not have established child trafficking but resolved to charge the five women to include Halamatu Daramie, Famata Doe, Hereitta Beaye, Hawa Kamara and Grace H. Sesay with the commissioned of the crimes “Endangering Welfare of the children in violation of section 16.4 of the Penal Law of Liberia.
