West African Human Rights Training Initiative

Map of West Africa showing the three Mano River Union countries — Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — plus Côte d’Ivoire. Together, they have close economic, social and cultural ties that go back centuries. All four countries are emerging from a regional conflict that has spilled over porous borders.

Addressing Human Rights Violations in West Africa

A number of countries in West Africa currently face challenges that align to create the potential for renewed conflict and widespread human rights abuses. These factors include a climate of impunity, widespread corruption and the possible emergence of “narco states” as the region becomes a hub for cocaine trafficking to Europe.

In the past, simmering frustration with corruption and lack of government accountability has at times boiled over, resulting in brutal civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, and widespread civil unrest in Guinea. With conflicts marked by “blood diamonds,” child soldiers, and widespread sexual violence, the human rights fallout for many West Africans has been devastating.

As local and international actors move forward in efforts to consolidate peace and reconstruction, the need for greater transparency and accountability must be among those occupying center stage. A strong civil society with the knowledge and training needed to call governments to account for human rights abuses will be critical.

A New Partnership

The West African Human Rights Training Initiative is a regional partnership between the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) and leading human rights organizations in four West African countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Goals

The primary goal of the initiative is to strengthen the ability of select human rights organizations to pressure their governments for reform and accountability for human rights abuses by engaging in a three-step process of human rights investigation, report writing, and advocacy. The IPJ believes that continuing advocacy efforts by local human rights defenders will be central to promoting the consolidation of a just and lasting peace in this war-torn region.

For more information about the IPJ’s work in West Africa, please contact Senior Program Officer Dustin Sharp.

This initiative is made possible thanks to generous support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.