In recent weeks, the government of Liberia feet was brought to the fire to take steps that will crab rape.
As part ofthe efforts to draw government’s attention to the increased number in rape cases in Liberia, women, children, men, youth, civil society organizations gathered in the streets of Monrovia with a three day anti rape protest which demanded the president to employ efforts to end rape.
In that direction, for two days, the Liberian government, CSOs, NGOs, INGOs, International partners with interest in ending or reducing rape cases were locked up at 2020 Anti- SGBV National Conference held at the Ministerial Complex. At the opening of the two days gathering, President Weah said he remains relentless in his commitment to the cause of reducing and eradicating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Liberia.
President Weah whois also known as the“Feminist-In-Chief”told the gathering of diverse backgrounds that the aim and purpose of the just ended National Conference, is to rally all Sexual and Gender-Based Violence stakeholders to discuss openly and contribute collectively to determine the best practices and procedures that would enable us to bring an end of rape and other forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Liberia. The two days event was under the Theme “A National Call To Action: Inclusive Involvement to Fight Rape and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Liberia”.
President Weah saidthose proposals will be taken into account and serve as a validation of the “Government of Liberia & Partners’ Roadmap on Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence 2020-2022”.
Following the reviewof this Roadmap over the next two days of the deliberations, the Government plans to achieve effective results by adopting a new approach to addressing the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence-prevention process across all sectors, which will be characterized by adequately-funded prevention and response mechanisms.
Graciously, Government haspromised fund to these efforts. These are laudable efforts by the Liberian government in fighting the menace and culture of rape.
We commend and applaudthem for such a farsightedness to help safe our women, girls, and boys from being violated by heatless individuals. It is our prayer that these two days are not going to be waste of the precious time of those who have gone longing of the reduction or eradicating rape in Liberia or the document should not be another dust carrier at the Ministry of Gender.
But, our hopethat institutions named for the implementation of the two years plans aim at fighting rape work as a uniformed group as any disunity will rob the process of its true essence.
And, like thePresident said with the adoption of the strategies, he is hopeful that they will be able to improve and strengthen the enforcement of existing legislation, policies and standards that support the prevention and response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, thereby reducing the incidence of rape, child marriage, and female genital mutilation, amongst others. This is also our thinking as well as we look forward to the implementation of the two years program.
As an institution, we also join all institutions to condemn rape and call on all those in such habit to discontinue because it does not speak well for our nation.
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