Liberia

([April 2014], ACERWC, Concluding observations on initial report, pp. 5-6)

"The Committee acknowledges Liberia’s effort in putting legislative ban on corporeal punishment in corrective facilities. But corporeal punishment remains legal and common practice in schools, homes and in alternative care settings. Children fall out with their parents and move out of the home or dropped out of school as a result of corporal punishment. And the situation is not monitored and documented to reflect its magnitude and impact on children. Further, domestic violence is often regarded as an issue of family affairs, and mostly not dealt within the judicial settings. Thus the Committee recommends the State Party to ensure that corporal punishment is expressly prohibited by law and adequate mechanisms be put in place to monitor and enforce the law. It recommends the State to strengthen its enforcement institutions to be able to promote prevention of corporal punishment and domestic violence and more importantly to be able to effectively investigate and prosecute violence against children. The Committee also recommends Liberia to provide adequate protection for child victims of violence particularly those whose cases are going through legal proceedings by arranging free access to legal assistance, psychosocial and medical therapy and treatment for their quick recovery."