Monrovia, Liberia - UN Deputy Envoy, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, says the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) remains committed to strengthening Liberia's corrections system and improving the overall justice delivery system of Liberia. Ms. Mensa-Bonsu made this statement at the graduation of 50 corrections officers who underwent a five-month intensive training jointly conducted by Liberia's Ministry of Justice and UNMIL's Corrections Advisory Unit at the Liberia National Police Training Academy.
Stressing on the significance of the rule of law sector, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Rule of Law said, "an effective rule of law sector is fundamental to the stability and prosperity of Liberia and so every effort should be made to nurture it". She added that, "the inadequate numbers of corrections officers in Liberia are hindering the ability of the corrections sector to effectively play its role in justice delivery in Liberia". The mass escapes from the Monrovia Central Prison (MCP) in 2008, and those of Zwedru and Harper in 2009 and, most recently, in Voinjama clearly illustrate this, Ms. Mensa-Bonsu said.
She however expressed optimism that the staff strength at the MCP will see a significant improvement when 30 of these current graduates are posted to work there. The remaining 20 are to be deployed at the 72-bed Sanniquellie Central Prison in Nimba upon completion in a few weeks. The Peace Building Fund is sponsoring this project. Today's graduation brings the total number of corrections officers trained under this project to 252. Out of this number 39 are females. DSRSG Mensa-Bonsu told the graduates to exhibit a high degree of professionalism in the discharge of their duties and noted that, "corruption and abuse of power have no place in your professional lives".
Assistant Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Justice, Ms. Emma Wuor, who represented Justice Minister Christiana Tah, called on the new corrections officers to execute their duty without discrimination. "This is not an easy task; it is a sacrificial job and needs your love for humanity", she said. Ms. Wuor emphasized that corrections officers are to respect the rights of inmates, and their responsibilities require that when inmates return to the communities, there should be changes in their behaviour. Prisoners, she indicated, are in prison as punishment and not for punishment.
She expressed on behalf of the Government of Liberia thanks and appreciation for the level of support received from UNMIL and other international partners in strengthening Liberia's corrections sector. Assistant Minister Wuor assured Liberia's corrections' partners, including UNMIL of improvement in the face of the support being received by the Liberian Government.
Attending the ceremony were Liberia National Police Deputy Commandant/Administration, Assistant Commissioner of Police Alex Kawah; representatives from the Ministry of Gender and Development, non-governmental organizations, and UNMIL.