By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Liberia’s government said on Tuesday that it will investigate bribery allegations connected to the country’s largest human trafficking trial, which is now in its second week. Sumo C. Kutu Akoi, a senior human trafficking prosecutor, when asked about the prospect of a probe, told FrontPage Africa/New Narratives that…
By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary: CESTOS CITY, River Cess County — W. knows what to do when her period comes, and there is no money for pads. She buys baby diapers. We are calling all the girls in the story by their initials to prevent them from further stigma and shame….
In Monrovia, market women say rising prices are making it harder to survive — with fewercustomers and shrinking profits. As the US/Israeli standoff with Iran continues to block as much as 20 percent of the globalsupply of fuel and fertilizer, experts warn worse is yet to come. In this collaboration with New Narratives, Tetee Gebro…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: In a dramatic testimony in Liberia’s largest human-trafficking case, a key prosecution witness left her wooden chair in the courtroom and walked—about five steps—to the defendants’ dock to identify the remaining men and women on trial. The witness, identified as L., to protect her from…
Margaret Awuni sits close to a heap of burning wood, her face masked by despair. Thick smoke curls around her as she coughs again and again as the wood burns down to charcoal that she then sells to workers here. Awuni, 48, has been doing this work since she lost her job as a trader…
In a dramatic twist during Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial, one of the accused traffickers stunned the court by pleading guilty and testifying against her co-defendants. Her confession and cooperation mark a pivotal moment in the landmark case, which involves dozens of victims and multiple defendants, signaling a potential breakthrough in the country’s fight against…
On the opening day of Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial, the courtroom fell silent as one of the 57 alleged victims broke down in tears, pointing to defendant Daniel Davis and accusing him of drugging and raping her after promising to help her travel abroad. Her emotional testimony highlighted the scale of the case, which…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Day three of this mammoth human trafficking trial with 57 victims and 27 defendants started with more drama as three more defendants pleaded guilty Thursday, claiming they were victims who had been coerced into recruiting others. They made the admissions in a bid to win clemency from prosecutors…
President Joseph Boakai has now received draft laws that could pave the way for theprosecution of atrocities committed during the country’s brutal civil wars.But beneath the ceremony and symbolism lies a fierce struggle over funding, politics andaccountability — one that could determine whether Liberia finally confronts its violent past ordelays justice once again.In this collaboration…
Liberia’s human rights chief is warning that corruption is not just a governance problem — but athreat to justice and human rights.The warning comes as the United Nations begins training prosecutors and investigators to handlecorruption cases in a new way to investigate and try corruption cases for the new anticorruption andeconomic crimes courts set to…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives A stunning turn in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial unfolded Wednesday as one of the 12 defendants pleaded guilty and took the stand against her co-defendants. Moments before proceedings resumed in the morning, Shelley Jonny, dressed in a blue prison uniform, moved from the dock to address the…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent and New Narratives editors Summary: One of 57 alleged victims in the country’s largest human-trafficking case broke down during her testimony in open court, crying as she described how the man she identified—Daniel Davis—raped her after putting a drug in her drink in one of the trial’s most dramatic opening moments. After…
By Augusta S. Lafalay with New Narratives Summary: For fourteen years, S. said she woke up every morning to wet and smelly sheets. She had no name for what was wrong with her. She had no doctor to visit, no clinic that could help. All she had was shame — and silence. It started with…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent and New Narratives editors Summary: Jury selection began Monday in what prosecutors and anti-trafficking advocates describe as Liberia’s largest human trafficking case, nine months after victims, some of the country’s poorest citizens, first filed complaints against the accused perpetrators. Prosecutors and defense lawyers screened prospective jurors at Criminal Court “A” at…
A five‑year‑old girl in Todee District cries for her parents after witnessing the violence that killed her mother. With her father jailed and no government support, she and her siblings are left destitute, a stark reminder that when domestic violence destroys a family, innocent children pay the price. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media…
Violence against women remains a pressing issue in Liberia, but a new generation of male influencers is stepping forward to challenge harmful norms. Through EU‑backed training programs, these young men are learning to rethink masculinity in the social media age and use their platforms to promote respect, equality, and positive change. Joyclyn wea reports in…
By Mahmud Mohammed Nurudeen Every morning, Bukari Rahinatu used to ride through clouds of exhaust on her way to work in Ghana’s northeast town bordering Burkina Faso and Togo. The 25-year-old graduate from the University of Education, Winneba, says the smoke from fuel-powered motorbikes became part of daily life in the busy northern town. By…
By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary The video lasted less than two minutes. A young woman walking through Red Light Market in Monrovia was suddenly surrounded by a group of men who tore the clothes from her body. Her offense, they claimed, was, ironically, dressing indecently. Someone filmed the attack. Within hours, the…
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH Little Myles has been battling chronic asthma since he was two. Four years on, the boy lives with his single mother Bernice, here along the Pokuase-Nsawam highway. Long delayed road construction has shrouded the nearby communities for four years. That added to the area’s vehicle emissions and fumes from cooking and waste…
Across Liberia, nine out of ten young people grow up without basic sex education, leaving girls vulnerable to teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and poverty. A recent investigation highlights stories like Benetta’s, who became pregnant at 17 without knowing how pregnancy occurs, and Mamia’s, who dropped out of school after early motherhood. With one in three…
A grand jury in Monrovia has indicted 11 suspects in Liberia’s biggest human trafficking case to date, after a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation revealed attempts to bribe officials to weaken charges. Prosecutors say the accused lured 57 victims with false promises of jobs abroad, then held them captive in compounds where they were beaten, starved,…
