Editorial: The Intent Of Curbing The Alarming Growth In Sexual And Gender-Based Violence

THE HOT PEPPER applauds the position of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection that the intent of the three-day protest against the increase of rape cases in the country is genuine. The jump in the number of rape cases over the last few weeks has been alarming and dangerous for victims of rape, often minor and under-aged girls, and the society, with the consequent need to hold perpetrators accountable and bring them to book.

INFORMATION OF OFFICERS of the Liberia National Police (LNP) heavy-handedly handling the protestors is therefore unacceptable, in the face of the clear need for public action to halt the violation of our women and girls. The protesters have the right to seek justice for survivors and victims of rape at all times, hence Minister Williametta Saydee Tarr’s intervention with the Minister of Justice, F. Musah Dean, requesting that he ensures that the police exercises restraint and avoids the use of force against the protesters undergirded the right of the protestors to call the government and the public’s attention to social misconduct condemned by statutory law. 

“MINISTER TARR APPLAUDS the frantic effort by Minister Dean and the LNP for the exercise of restraint and restoring calm. Gender beseeches the LNP to continue to exercise professionalism in handling civil disobedience, particularly when dealing with women and children, and in this instance anti-rape campaigners. Rape is a menace to society that all of us need to join hands together against in order to eradicate it from within our communities, and the intent of the protest was to raise this very needed point,” the Ministry of Gender observed. 

“THE MINISTRY COMMENDS the resilience of the anti-rape campaigners in sustaining a three-day long peaceful march, aimed at curbing sexual and gender-based violence, especially rape, from our society. This is especially important at a time when the GoL’s Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on SGBV has completed and submitted the Comprehensive Anti-SGBV Roadmap as mandated by His Excellency President George Weah. In the same vein, the Ministry frowns on all who sought to hijack the protest against rape for political aggrandizement, condemns the incitement of violence and asks that all Liberians actually join in the fight against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and join us in pushing for the amendments of the pertinent laws, including amending for stronger grading and punishments, and for the Judiciary to work on behalf of survivors and their families.”