MONROVIA, Montserrado – According to Gender Minister Julia Duncan Cassell, the ten Liberian girls who were allegedly trafficked to Lebanon and recently repatriated are in good health and eager to see their families.

Five months ago, the Front Page Africa newspaper reported that about 61 Liberian women in Lebanon were sexually abused and used as domestic workers against their will.

According to the report, a Lebanese national known as Bachar Lakkis told the girls in Liberia that they would be given job opportunities upon arrival in Lebanon. Instead, after arriving in Lebanon, their passports were seized at the Beirut Airport and each girl was sold at US$ 3,500.

Addressing the Ministry of Information on Thursday in Monrovia, Cassell said the government had expected seven girls but instead ten were brought back home.

“[The girls] are all in good condition and pretty happy. I personally met with them a couple of days ago. We’ve been taking them for medical [checks], and they are all doing well,” Cassell said.

Cassell could not confirm the number girls presently being held in Lebanon. However, she said the government of Liberia is working with international partners such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration to bring the remaining girls back to Liberia.

Featured photo credit: National Museum of American History