* Adopted by the Committee at its ninety-second session (2–20 February 2026).

List of issues and questions prior to the submission of the combined ninth and tenth periodic reports of Liberia *

General

1.Please provide information and statistics, disaggregated by sex, age, nationality, disability, ethnicity, geographical location and socioeconomic background, on the current situation of women and girls in the State Party to enable monitoring of the implementation of the Convention. In accordance with the State Party’s obligations under articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, and in line with target 5.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals, to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, please indicate how the State Party intends to improve the collection and analysis of data pertaining to the areas covered by the Convention so as to support policymaking and programme development and to measure progress towards the implementation of the Convention and the promotion of substantive equality between women and men, including with regard to the specific areas covered in the present document.

Legislative framework

2.In the light of paragraph 12 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/LBR/CO/7-8), please provide information on the steps taken to strengthen the legislative framework on women’s rights and to combat sex- and gender-based discrimination and intersecting forms of discrimination, and give details of specific gender equality legislation adopted since the most recent concluding observations.

3.Recalling the Committee’s previous concluding observations (ibid., para. 14 (d)), the pledge made by the State Party at the seventy-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in 2023, and the national report submitted for the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review, in 2025 (A/HRC/WG.6/50/LBR/1, para.10), please provide information on steps taken to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

Definition of discrimination against women

4.In the light of paragraph 12 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide updated information on the adoption of a comprehensive legal definition of discrimination against women in line with article 1 of the Convention, covering all prohibited grounds of discrimination, direct and indirect discrimination in the public and private spheres and intersecting forms of discrimination based on sex and other grounds.

Legal status of the Convention and harmonization of laws

5.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/LBR/CO/7-8, para. 14 (a) and (b)), please inform the Committee about the progress made to:

(a)Repeal or amend any provisions that are discriminatory towards women or that lack gender sensitivity, such as provisions in the Act to Govern the Devolution of Estates and Establish Rights of Inheritance for Spouses of Both Statutory and Customary Marriages of 2003, the Public Health Law of 2023 and the Education Reform Act of 2011;

(b)Review discriminatory laws through the Law Reform Commission and harmonize customary and statutory law, in line with the provisions of the Convention;

(c)Monitor the adherence of customary courts to women’s rights under the Convention.

Access to justice for women

6.In the light of paragraph 16 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please explain the steps taken to:

(a)Provide access to justice to women in all parts of the State Party’s territory, including women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, and to establish a comprehensive legal aid scheme;

(b)Ensure accountability for alleged corruption in the judiciary and the impact of the re-establishment of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission in 2022;

(c)Abolish the death penalty;

(d)Provide the necessary financial, human and technical resources to the Independent National Commission on Human Rights.

National machinery for the advancement of women

7.Please indicate the measures taken to adopt a four-year national action plan on the implementation of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (ibid., para. 7) and the status of drafting a third national human rights action plan. In addition, please provide information on the following, in the light of paragraph 18 of the previous concluding observations:

(a)The human, financial and technical resources provided to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and to support the gender focal point system;

(b)The policies and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place to ensure gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive budgeting, including the status of a new national gender policy and the impact of the national gender-responsive planning and budgeting policy for the period 2019–2023.

Temporary special measures

8.Please indicate whether any temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1 of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25 (2004) on temporary special measures, have been adopted to accelerate the achievement of substantive equality between women and men in all areas covered by the Convention and whether enforcement and monitoring mechanisms are in place.

Discriminatory gender stereotypes and harmful practices

9.With reference to paragraphs 22 and 24 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on:

(a)The efforts made to modify or eliminate discriminatory stereotypes concerning the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society, including outreach in rural areas and to traditional leaders, particularly concerning female genital mutilation, and how the impact of such measures is assessed and how measures are being reviewed;

(b)The prevalence of child and/or forced marriage, polygamy, trial by ordeal, including of women and girls accused of witchcraft, and female genital mutilation in the State Party, the steps taken for their prohibition or the enforcement of existing prohibitions, the number of cases prosecuted and the nature of reparations for victims;

(c)The measures taken to enforce the prohibition of child marriage, enshrined in article VI, section 4 (a) and (b) of the Children’s Law of 2011, to improve birth and marriage registration and to require a birth certificate to be presented prior to any marriage;

(d)The steps taken for the elimination and criminalization of female genital mutilation, including any plans to adopt new legislation and to amend the Domestic Violence Act of 2019 and article VI, section 4 of the Children’s Law of 2011 to explicitly prohibit female genital mutilation, to enforce executive orders banning female genital mutilation and the administrative policy suspending all traditional practices related to the Poro and Sande societies, and to close bush schools and retrain practitioners.

Gender-based violence against women

10.In the light of paragraph 26 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide the Committee with up-to-date statistical data on all forms of gender-based violence against women, disaggregated by age, ethnicity, disability and gender identity, and on the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, as well as on protection measures and reparations for victims, prosecutions and sanctions imposed on perpetrators. Please also provide an update on relevant legislation, policies and data collection systems, and further describe to the Committee the specific measures taken to:

(a)Strengthen the effective prevention of gender-based violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, intimate partner violence and violence committed by State actors, and the impact of such measures on the prevalence of such violence;

(b)Facilitate and encourage reporting of cases of gender-based violence against women and girls and to protect victims and witnesses, including by amending the requirements for reporting under the Domestic Violence Act, and to ensure operational and gender-sensitive reporting mechanisms;

(c)Provide mandatory capacity-building for judges, prosecutors, police officers and other law enforcement officers on the strict application of relevant criminal law provisions and on gender-sensitive procedures for handling cases;

(d)Effectively implement legislation concerning gender-based violence against women and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and adequately punished and that victims are provided with adequate reparations;

(e)Ensure access to criminal courts, free legal aid, police stations, healthcare providers, medical supplies, psychosocial support, shelters and long-term reintegration assistance, in all parts of the State Party’s territory, that are equipped to assist women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence;

(f)Ensure the protection of women and girls who are victims of torture and inhuman treatment from family members under allegations of witchcraft or theft, and girls from low-income families whose parents are criminal offenders or drug users.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

11.Recalling the Committee’s previous recommendations (ibid., para. 28) and its general recommendation No. 38 (2020) on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, please provide updated data on the trafficking of women and girls and on the exploitation of women and girls in prostitution, and please outline the steps taken towards:

(a)The systematic collection and analysis of disaggregated data on the trafficking of women and girls, including the trafficking of girls from rural to urban areas, and the efforts made to understand and address its root causes;

(b)Increased international, regional and bilateral cooperation with transit and destination countries to prevent trafficking;

(c)Effective mechanisms for early identification, referral and follow-up for women and girls who are victims of trafficking, including hotlines, and awareness-raising campaigns, particularly for law enforcement personnel and communities in border regions;

(d)Effective assistance provided to women and girls who are victims of trafficking, including legal, medical and psychosocial support, shelters, compensation and restitution, and long-term victim protection and reintegration, particularly in rural areas;

(e)The implementation of the 2021 Revised Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons, including the prosecution and adequate punishment of perpetrators of trafficking-related crimes;

(f)The provision of educational and alternative income-generating opportunities for women and girls in prostitution.

Participation in political and public life

12.Recalling its general recommendation No. 23 (1997) on women in political and public life, its general recommendation No. 40 (2024) on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems and paragraph 30 of its previous concluding observations, please inform the Committee of measures taken to work towards achieving 50-50 parity in the representation of women in political and public life, in particular at the national, provincial and local levels, and in decision-making positions in the executive, the judiciary, the security sector, the diplomatic service and customary leadership. In particular, please specify the steps taken to enforce the 30 per cent quota for female political candidates, to increase the quota so as to achieve 50-50 parity and to establish clear timelines and sanctions for non-compliance. Please also provide information on the measures implemented, including temporary special measures, to address the systemic barriers hindering women’s participation in political and public life, including prevailing gender stereotypes, acts of violence, intimidation and online abuse, and the limited access of women candidates to capacity-building programmes, campaign funding and visibility in public media.

Women and peace and security

13.In line with paragraph 32 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on the measures taken to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, including by updating the national action plan on women and peace and security for the period 2019–2023 and the gender policy and action plan for 2021–2025, and by guaranteeing the equal participation of women and girls in the development and implementation of post-conflict reconstruction activities. Please further explain the resources allocated to the Office for the Establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court and the timeline for establishing the court itself so as to ensure accountability for civil war era crimes, including sexual and gender-based crimes committed against women and girls, and to provide reparations to victims.

Nationality

14.In the light of paragraph 34 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations and the Act to Amend and/or Nullify Certain Provisions of the Aliens and Nationality Law Relating to Citizenship and Restoring the Citizenship Rights Lost as a Consequence of those Provisions of 2022, please provide updated information on:

(a)Whether Liberian women who gave birth to children outside the country before the entry into force of the Act in 2022 and who lack documentation can now transmit their nationality to their children;

(b)Whether children of Liberian women married to non-Liberian men are granted citizenship and have access to education, healthcare and other basic services on an equal basis with other children;

(c)The State Party’s plans to amend article 27 of its Constitution of 1986 to broaden citizenship to persons, including women, beyond those “who are Negroes or of Negro descent”.

Education

15.With reference to paragraph 36 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on:

(a)Enrolment and retention rates for girls, including girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination, in primary, secondary and tertiary education in urban and rural areas and their access to scholarships;

(b)Measures taken to encourage pregnant girls and young mothers to continue their education, and provide related statistical data thereon, as well as information on the mechanisms in place to facilitate school attendance for women and girls in rural areas and to offer the needed care facilities and support to allow girls with disabilities and daughters of persons with disabilities to pursue an education;

(c)Stipends available for girls from low-income families to attend school so that financial considerations do not contribute to child marriage and school dropout;

(d)Steps taken to prevent the recruitment of girls into the Sande secret society;

(e)Measures taken to eliminate sexual violence and the harassment of girls in school and on their way to and from school, as well as corporal punishment and other forms of abuse, and mechanisms in place to offer confidential reporting mechanisms, investigate such cases effectively, prosecute the perpetrators and offer support and reparations to victims, including the impact of the student well-being programme.

16.Please further inform the Committee about:

(a)The provision of school infrastructure that takes the needs of girls into account, including separate sanitation facilities for girls, clean water, safe accommodation and the provision of menstrual products, as well as adequately equipped schools and a sufficient number of teachers;

(b)Efforts made to address discriminatory stereotypes and structural barriers, to promote non-traditional educational choices by girls and women in such fields as science, technology, engineering, mathematics and information and communications technology, and to recruit and retain more female teachers;

(c)The provision of mandatory, comprehensive and age-appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights in schools;

(d)The promotion of human rights education in schools that includes a focus on the Convention and gender equality.

Employment

17.Recalling paragraph 38 of its previous concluding observations, please describe to the Committee the measures taken to eliminate gender inequalities in the employment sector, such as occupational segregation, the gender wage gap, the concentration of women in the informal sector and their disproportionate share of unpaid care responsibilities, and to ensure compliance with labour laws by private employers, such as with regard to domestic work and laws prohibiting child labour and sexual harassment. Please also provide information on the availability of childcare facilities, flexible working arrangements and breastfeeding facilities for mothers, and detail the steps taken to amend section 20.3 of the Decent Work Act of 2015 with a view to introducing paid paternity leave. Please further provide information on plans to ratify relevant conventions of the International Labour Organization that protect and promote women’s rights in the labour market, including, among others, the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156), the Part-Time Work Convention, 1994 (No. 175), the Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), and the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), and to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Health

18.With reference to paragraphs 10 (b) and 40 (b) of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information and relevant statistical data on the availability of:

(a)Basic healthcare services for women and girls to ensure access to drugs and medical supplies and the measures taken to address any barriers to their access, including barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities;

(b)Sexual and reproductive healthcare services and contraceptives, particularly for adolescent girls and in rural areas;

(c)Emergency obstetric services, skilled birth attendance and monitoring mechanisms on maternal death, and the impact of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition Policy for the period 2024–2031 on maternal, newborn and child mortality rates;

(d)Abortion and post-abortion care and services in all parts of the State Party’s territory;

(e)HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention measures, including measures to decrease the risk for sex workers and for girls subjected to child marriage, and the risk of mother-to-child transmission;

(f)Adequate mental health services for women and girls and measures to protect women and girls in need of such services from abuse and sexual and gender-based violence.

Economic empowerment of women

19.Please provide updated information and statistical data on access for women to secure employment, formal credit and microfinance opportunities, and entrepreneurship, including any initial impact on the economic empowerment of women of measures under the national development plan for the period 2025–2029 and under the national action plan on business and human rights for the period 2024–2028. Specifically, please provide statistical data on access by women working in agriculture to land, credit and capacity-building programmes to promote literacy, digital literacy and climate change-resilient agricultural technologies and explain the steps taken to increase such access, including through the implementation of the Land Rights Law of 2018. Please also provide updated and disaggregated data on the percentage of women covered by social protection schemes, including women in the informal sector or in low-paying sectors.

Rural women

20.In the light of paragraph 42 of its previous concluding observations, please describe to the Committee:

(a)The impact of the Local Government Act of 2018 and of the Rural Women Structure on the participation of rural women in local decision-making, including in land and natural resource management and negotiations on concessions with companies for the economic use of land traditionally occupied by rural women;

(b)Access by rural women to microcredit at low interest rates to create income-generating activities and the improvement of infrastructure, such as road networks to markets and storage facilities, that affect their economic empowerment;

(c)The provision to rural women of infrastructure and services, including education, healthcare, sanitation, potable water and electricity, as well as of childcare and eldercare in order to address the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and home-based labour done by rural women and girls;

(d)The mechanisms in place in rural areas to prevent the perpetration of acts of sexual and gender-based violence against, and female genital mutilation of, rural women and girls, as well as child and/or forced marriage and trafficking.

Disadvantaged groups of women

21.Please provide to the Committee comprehensive information and statistical data on the human rights situation of women and girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination, such as women and girls with disabilities, older women, widows, women and girls living in poverty, minority women, women from cross-border communities, migrant and displaced women, and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls.

22.Please also inform the Committee about the concrete steps taken to ensure effective access by women and girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination to participation in political and public life at decision-making levels, and to poverty prevention and reduction measures, social protection, justice, education, healthcare services, housing, employment, income-generating opportunities and ownership of land. Please provide detailed information on the measures in place to prevent discrimination against women and girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination.

Gender dimension of climate change and disaster risk reduction

23.Please describe the steps taken to integrate a gender perspective into national policies on climate change, including the national adaptation plan for 2020–2030, in line with the Committee’s general recommendation No. 37 (2018) on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change. Please specify any measures taken to ensure the effective participation of women in decision-making processes on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and land and environmental resource management, in line with the Committee’s previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/LBR/CO/7-8, paras. 7 and 10 (a)).

Marriage and family relations

24.With reference to paragraph 44 of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please describe the measures taken to:

(a)Ensure equal rights of women and girls under customary and statutory law with regard to inheritance rights, property and land ownership, and marriage and family matters, including specifically by:

(i)Harmonizing the legal age of marriage at 18 years for girls and boys by amending section 2.2 of the Domestic Relations Law of 1973;

(ii)Prohibiting child and forced marriage and polygamy;

(iii)Enforcing inheritance rights under the Equal Rights of the Customary Marriage Law of 1998 and under section 3.4 of that Law, which prohibits the forced marriage of a widow to a relative of her husband’s family;

(b)Increasing the legal literacy of women and girls, particularly of rural women and girls, on their rights under statutory law, and the legal aid available to them;

(c)Providing for equal rights to custody over children after separation by amending section 4.1 of the Domestic Relations Law of 1973;

(d)Protecting the economic and custody rights of women in de facto unions.

Additional information

25.Please provide any additional information deemed relevant with regard to legislative, policy, administrative and other measures taken to implement the provisions of the Convention and the Committee’s concluding observations since the consideration of the State Party’s combined seventh and eighth periodic reports (CEDAW/C/LBR/7-8), in 2015. Such measures may include recent laws, developments, plans, programmes and ratifications of human rights instruments, as well as any other information that the State Party considers relevant. Please note that, further to the issues raised in the present document, the State Party will be expected, during the dialogue, to respond to additional questions relating to areas covered by the Convention.