Liberia

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is located on the West African coast, most of the country is covered by dense tropical forests. Liberia was the only colony founded by the United States of America, and the Liberian flag is influenced by this inheritance. A military coup in 1980 led the country into a long phase of war and instability. It was only in 2003 that a peace agreement was signed.

At around 5.1 million, Liberia’s population consists primarily of Christians, with 85.6% identifying as Christian. Islam is the next largest religious group at 12.2% of the population. 1.5% of the population claim no religion, 0.6% of the population hold indigenous religious beliefs, and less than 1% of the population are members of other religious groups.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/liberia/[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Official symbolic deference to religion
State-funded schools offer religious or ideological instruction with no secular or humanist alternative, but it is optional
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Constitution and government
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
Official symbolic deference to religion
Education and children’s rights
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
State-funded schools offer religious or ideological instruction with no secular or humanist alternative, but it is optional
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

The Constitution[ref]http://judiciary.gov.lr/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CONSTITUTION-OF-THE-REPUBLIC-OF-LIBERIA.pdf[/ref] guarantees all inhabitants freedom of thought, conscience and religion as well as freedom of expression and the right to knowledge (Articles 14 and 15). The government generally respects these rights in practice. President Weah appointed the first Muslim religious advisor to the President in March of 2019.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/liberia/[/ref] This advisor serves along with two Christian advisors, and informs and advises the President of topics relevant to the Muslim community.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/liberia/[/ref] This advisor announced in 2019 that an agreement had been reached by the government that official programs would include a Christian prayer and a Muslim prayer.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/liberia/[/ref]

The government persuaded public businesses and markets to remain closed Sundays and on Christmas. Only few Muslim-owned shops are permitted to operate Sundays with limited opening hours.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2017-report-on-international-religious-freedom/liberia/[/ref]

In 2015 a proposal to make Christianity the official state religion was introduced, then eventually shelved by President Sirleaf.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/liberia/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

Education and children’s rights

Education in Liberia was seriously affected and damaged by both Liberian Civil Wars between 1989 and 2003. According to the education database most of the primary schools are operated by churches or Christian missionaries. General public schools offer religious education, but do not require it.[ref]https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90105.htm[/ref] The state subsidizes private schools where most of them are affiliated with Christian or Muslim organizations.[ref]http://www.classbase.com/countries/Liberia/Education-System[/ref]

In the spring of 2021, a six year old girl was expelled from her school after being labelled a witch, and was told by the school that she would only be allowed back in once she was found by a church or pastor to be “free from witchcraft practices.”[ref]https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2021/03/liberian-school-brands-a-girl-aged-six-a-witch-then-expels-her/?fbclid=IwAR0utIx70xRHwh-DnNblB9_uINJSq__JPGryXFFRcQWeXv2FSIeuWUG6VXI[/ref] Momolu Dorley, President of Humanists Liberia, suggests that accusations of witchcraft are a common issue in Liberia, and called on the Liberian government to take a stand against such accusations.[ref]https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2021/03/liberian-school-brands-a-girl-aged-six-a-witch-then-expels-her/?fbclid=IwAR0utIx70xRHwh-DnNblB9_uINJSq__JPGryXFFRcQWeXv2FSIeuWUG6VXI[/ref]

Sexual violence occurs at schools in the form of sexual violation, sexual coercion, and transactional sex.[ref]https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10538712.2018.1549176?journalCode=wcsa20[/ref] UNICEF Liberia states that ‘sex for grades and ‘sex for school fees’ is an ordinary practice in Liberia.[ref]https://www.unicef.org/liberia/child-protection[/ref]

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not currently criminalized in Liberia. President Sirleaf signed the Domestic Violence bill in 2018 which banned the practice of FGM on girls younger than 18, but this ban expired in early 2019.[ref]https://borgenproject.org/female-genital-mutilation-in-liberia/[/ref] According to Marie Goreth Nizigam, the UN Women country representative from Liberia, half of the female population between the ages of 15 and 49 have been subjected to FGM.[ref]https://borgenproject.org/female-genital-mutilation-in-liberia/[/ref]

The Inheritance Law of 2003 bans females under 16 from marriage.[ref]https://evaw-global-database.unwomen.org/fr/countries/africa/liberia/2003/inheritance-law-2003[/ref] Yet according to UNICEF, 40% of girls are married in childhood.[ref]https://www.unicef.org/liberia/situation-children-liberia[/ref]

Family, community and society

According to Human Rights Watch,[ref]https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/liberia1113_ForUpload.pdf[/ref]

“In post-war Liberia, family and the church play an especially important role in social welfare, communal life, socialization, and shaping social attitudes and moral ethics. “

LGBTI+ rights

Sexual minorities are publicly discriminated against in Liberia. In 2012 Liberian lawmakers introduced new laws against homosexuals.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/12/03/its-nature-not-crime/discriminatory-laws-and-lgbt-people-liberia#[/ref] Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,[ref]http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Ellen+Johnson-Sirleaf[/ref] the Nobel Peace Prize laureate from 2012, defended the anti-gay laws and emphasised the persistence of colonial laws and traditional values.[ref]http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Keep-Calm/2012/0320/Liberia-s-President-Sirleaf-defends-country-s-anti-gay-laws[/ref]

In the same year, an anti-gay group distributed fliers with a list of gay rights supporters. One of the activists had threatened to “get them [LGBTI+ individuals] one by one”.[ref]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/liberia-anti-gay-group-hit-list_n_1400066.html[/ref]

Same-sex sexual behavior was criminalized in Liberia under the Penal Law of 1978.[ref]https://www.rightofassembly.info/assets/downloads/1978_Penal_Law_of_Liberia.pdf[/ref] According to a 2020 country report on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Rights in Liberia created by the UNHR Office of the High Commissioner, public opinion of LBGTI+ individuals is largely negative, making Liberia a ‘hostile climate’ for these individuals.[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LR/OHCHR-UNDP-SOGIR-Report-Liberia.pdf[/ref]

“Tradition and religion strongly influence beliefs, practices, values and norms and as a result many Liberians hold negative and pejorative views of LGBT people.”[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LR/OHCHR-UNDP-SOGIR-Report-Liberia.pdf[/ref]

Reports indicate that religious and community leaders, political figures, and media outlets have all contributed to the discrimination experienced by the LGBTI+ community.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/liberia1113_ForUpload.pdf[/ref] Religious leaders and politicians have reportedly sought to label homosexual activity as “un-African” and anti-thetical to “traditional values”, and are known to promote harmful practices such as so-called “Conversion therapy”.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/liberia1113_ForUpload.pdf; https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LR/OHCHR-UNDP-SOGIR-Report-Liberia.pdf[/ref]

Women’s Rights

Most Liberian women and girls have limited access to sexual and reproductive health resources.[ref]https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/keeping-liberian-women-safe-violence[/ref] As of 2016, only a quarter of sexually active girls and young women of the ages 15 to 29 were using a ‘modern contraceptive method’.[ref]https://www.ghspjournal.org/content/ghsp/4/3/435.full.pdf[/ref]

Sexual violence including rape has been an issue in Liberia since at least the 14 year civil war that ended in 2003, in which rape was a commonly used tactic of war.[ref]https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/when-things-fall-apart[/ref] On 11 September 2020, President George Weah declared rape a national emergency.[ref]https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/12/liberia-declares-rape-a-national-emergency-after-spike-in-cases[/ref] This came after a dramatic increase in rape cases recorded during the pandemic in which cases rose by 50%.[ref]https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/liberia-declares-rape-national-emergency/[/ref]

Religion and Ebola

In December 2013, the Ebola virus spread from Guinea and reached Liberia in March 2014. Liberia has proven fertile ground for conspiracy theories related to the virus. A bishop of the Christ Incorporated Church, Edward Adjei blamed the outbreak of the virus on witchcraft.[ref]https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2014/10/03/liberian-preacher-says-hes-come-up-with-a-cure-for-ebola-prayer-exorcism-and-an-obscure-soft-drink/[/ref] He proposed to solve the problem through exorcism.[ref]https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2014/10/03/liberian-preacher-says-hes-come-up-with-a-cure-for-ebola-prayer-exorcism-and-an-obscure-soft-drink/[/ref]

“The presidential building is our country’s gateway to Heaven, through which our leaders speak to God, but it has been desecrated. Now nobody speaks to God through the palace any more, so He has turned his back on our country. And when that happens, we lose protection against things like Ebola.”[ref]http://freethinker.co.uk/2014/10/04/mad-bishop-has-a-cure-for-ebola-vimto/[/ref]

The Liberian Observer gave an account in July 2014 of a meeting of bishops who converged to discuss the Church’s response to the epidemic. They endorsed the following resolution:

“That God is angry with Liberia, and that Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness…”[ref]http://www.liberianobserver.com/news-religion/god-angry-liberia%20; https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/06/god-is-angry-with-liberia-ebola-is-a-plague/[/ref]

Freedom of Expression, Advocacy of Humanist Values

Article 15A of Liberia’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, stating “Every person shall have the right to freedom of expression, being fully responsible for the abuse thereof. This right shall not be curtailed, restricted or enjoined by the government save during an emergency declared in accordance with this Constitution.”[ref]https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Liberia_1986.pdf?lang=en[/ref]

In June of 2019, a protest criticizing President Weah took place in Monrovia, the nation’s capital. That day, access to social media was impacted by the Liberian government.[ref]https://globalvoices.org/2020/07/31/the-day-liberia-shut-down-freedom-of-expression-amid-a-mass-protest/[/ref] This included blocking sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Whatsapp.[ref]https://monitor.civicus.org/updates/2019/06/13/access-social-media-blocked-day-anti-government-protest/[/ref] There have also been several attacks on private radio stations that expressed criticism of President Weah’s administration, including three between January 2019 and March 2019.[ref]https://monitor.civicus.org/updates/2019/06/13/access-social-media-blocked-day-anti-government-protest/[/ref]

As of April 2020, Humanists Liberia is a state-recognized organization.[ref]https://humanists.international/case-study/humanists-liberia/[/ref]