By M.Dennise Nimpson|Contributor
A painstaking investigation conducted has uncovered an alarming rate of the sexual gender based violence (SGBV) within the period of the coronavirus disease in the country.
The global pandemic, which hit the world, began in China since December of 2019; however, Liberia recorded its first case barely after five months (March 16, 2020), when the Executive of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Nathaniel Blama, was diagnosed of the disease upon arrival from a high-level international conference in Switzerland.
Accordingly, statistics by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), and the Liberia National Police (LNP) suggests that the rate of SGBV cases is alarming during the virus crisis.
Among the many cases, was an alleged rape case involving a-15-year-old girl by her step-father, which went viral both in the local media and the social media.
Providing a statistical data on the cases of SGBV cases, especially with regards to rape, Liberia’s Gender Minister, Madam Williametta Saydee-Tarr, disclosed that there are over 600 rape cases within the Covid-19 period and 79 cases of sexual assault.
Of the number of rape cases, the Gender Minister indicated that gang rape accounts for 43.
“Within this COVID-19- from January to May, there are over 600 rape cases. Gang rape is over 400 because it is differently from other forms of rape, and for sexual assault, we have more than 70 cases. This represents the entire country but there are more cases to report by our social workers across the country,” Minister Tarr asserted.
“If we were to compare the beginning of last year January, we had 182 cases compared to 172 this year January.
Last year February we had 169 and this year February 172, in March of last year we had 164 but we had a little drop in the cases in March of this year with 160 cases. Then April we 185 cases last year May and 71 in April this year,” Explained the Gender Minister.
Speaking specifically to the Lofa County incident, the Minister stated that the incident was immediately arrested following a tip-up from a whistleblower.
“As soon we heard it, we got in gear with the police and moved on. We have our team in Lofa, together they worked the Police in Lofa and the girl was brought to town with the baby. Right away, we took her and the baby to the hospital and they got checked, because that’s the first thing we do in cases like that.
The step-father was trying to run away, but thank God for another whistleblower who informed us about this, and the father was apprehended. When I say we got involved, I mean our social workers, myself, everybody hands on deck, 102 and the police director. Before you knew it he was apprehended,” the Minister stated.
“And he came in and confessed. It wasn’t a situation where the perpetrator will say I didn’t do it. He makes it easier and so justice will be served for the little girl,” Madam Saydee-Tarr pointed out.
Amid the alarming cases of SGBV, the Gender Minister reckoned that much has been done by government and partners to remedy the situation.
As part of the many efforts, she revealed that the Ministry has place mechanism to revamping the path way because by creating a hotline as means to pass on information from the community.
She furthered that the Ministry through cooperation has and continuing to strengthen the relationship with the Ministry of Justice through the Liberia National Police (LNP), Ministry of Health just in case there’s a case, stressing that the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center has been wonderful in helping the Ministry to screen.
“Right now, one of the main things we did as soon as the pandemic came about, globally we were warned that we have to pay attention to issues within the community that will be arising on sexual and Gender Base Violence.
We were warned as countries where the cases might go up because in cases where there are wars or pandemic, women and children are the most affected. That something that came from the UN and in our country right away President Weah in his own wisdom created the all women girls pillar. Specifically, it shows that we were looking at response in a gender sensitive, gender response manner,” the Gender Minister continued.
“Right away that pillar was form and so we at Ministry of Gender, we have a UN Women partners, UNFPA, UNDP to work along with us out of the Ministry we have our women groups, CSOs and we are invited all of them to be part of the pillar. Because this is a national response not only about the government is about everybody because the pandemic affect everyone,” she added.
Liberia National Police
The Liberia National Police (LNP) through its spokesman, Mr. H. Moses Carter, said there have been more incidents of SGBV during the period of the pandemic than before.
He stated that over 50 SGBV cases are currently being investigated by the police or sent to court, stressing: “Before the lockdown the numbers were not as high.”
“One of the cases on hand now involves a step-father, Johnson Choloty, who was arrested in Mount Barclay. He was charged and sent to court, because under the law someone must be charged and sent to court after 48 hours,” he noted.
Carter named public awareness as the main effort by the police in addressing the issue of SGBV across the country.
“That’s why we are doing more public awareness on SGBV urging men, women, girls, and boys to desist from engaging in acts that are undermining the protection of juvenile, protection of women and children. So these are some of the education we are currently carrying out.
We have a team that is going around the country and making sure we can provide some education,” Carter intoned.
AFELL
The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) is one of the many groups working towards gender equity and equality through the protection of all sexes.
But on the heel of the many effort to address the escalating rate of SGBV across the country, Madam Vivian Neal, President of AFELL, says accessing justice amid the virus is remains a serious challenge for the government and its partners due to adjustment made in justice system as a result of the virus.
“It’s actually a challenge when it comes to access to justice, because most of the cases should be going through jury trial and jury trial has been suspended in order to observe the health protocols and decongest the prison so it’s a challenge and a lot of cases just emerging and we wonder why, either because people are staying home and they are lockdown with their abusers that could be one of the factor but government is doing everything to have those people arrested,” the AFELL President said.
Notwithstanding, Madam Neal said the organization has made great effort in addressing the menace by working collaboratively with key stakeholders including government line ministries and agency.
“We been having series of meeting with Ministry of Gender and we are trying to strategize on how to give our awareness to reach out to the masses to be able to take preventive measures with respect to sexual gender base violence. Basically, that’s some of the things we are doing,” she added.
