Rights Group In Grand Kru County, the Affiliation of Child, Women Right Advocate (ACWRA), has announced three-days of “End Rape Nationwide Campaign” will be protesting in honor of all rape victims after a series of high-profile rape cases have sparked amongst Liberians in that party of the country.
The protest will be held the same day as the one in Monrovia on the August 25 to the 27, 2020 aimed are calling on the Liberian leader, President George Weah to immediately take concrete actions against those who are violating the rights of women and girls, especially underage girls.
Melvin T. Foday Jr., the local Coordinator for the “End Rape Nationwide campaign” in Grand Kru County, recently told GNN in the County that the issues of rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence have become a widespread problem in Liberia.
he said his organization is seriously concerned about the issue of rape and the low concern given to it by stakeholders including the government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, as well as the Ministry of Justice.”
According to the reports from various counties, Montserrado recorded 288 cases of rape and domestic abuse, Grand Kru 1, Nimba 56, Bong 36, Magibi 76, Grand Bassa 26, Bomi 15, Cape Mount 13, among others.
It can be recalled that, between January and July 2020, there have been a total of 450 incidents of statutory rape, 100 cases of rape, 55 cases of gang-related rape, and ten cases involving sodomy.
“Our young women and girls are raped across Liberia,” he said. “ACWRA is taking a new dimension especially in this COVID-19 time. Ladies are being raped and abused in all sorts of manner and we say that these acts of gender violence must stop. The impunity must stop.”
“We must promote zero tolerance to all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse including gender-based violence. We are bothered that, at a time when the pandemic is ravaging the world that we are having another pandemic [within a] pandemic. This has left our women and girls feeling very unsafe.
“This is a very disruptive time when people are no longer feeling safe in their homes; neither are they feeling safe on the streets.
Women are abused at household level and in public places. Incest and defilement of young girls is on the increase and the practice of blaming the very victim prevents even adult women from talking about this, More than 900 rape cases during this pandemic and an average 1 victim every day but our political leaders are issuing press statements on hosting a Debate.”
Comments are closed.