Liberia: Weah Urged to Take Action against Rape

Former presidential candidate and women’s rights advocate, Macdella Cooper, has called on the president of Liberia, George Weah, to make a policy statement on the alarming rise in the number of rape cases in the country.

Development Diaries learnt that Cooper made this call at a programme commemorating the celebration of the International Justice Day.

Liberia, according to the country’s Ministry of Justice, has recorded about 700 cases of rape.

In her reaction, Cooper said that president Weah should join other prominent leaders and the civil society organisations in speaking against the menace of rape against women and girls.

‘If you are not in the fight against rape you are a rapist; and if you are in the elected position we will get you out because people [did not] elect you to sit there and be silent’, she said.

‘They elected you to fight their right. We are calling on the president of this nation to stand with us against all the injustices in our country. “Mr President, we are calling on you this day to stand with the UN, the CSOs and victims and voice your opinion so that your followers who might or might not be perpetrators all know you stand with us, it may stop the raping of our women and daughters”’.

On his part, the Secretary-General of the human rights community, Adama Dempster, said the Liberian government should not use Covid-19 as an excuse of not meeting up with its national and international human rights obligations; while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), Maj. Gen. Prince Johnson, called for the introduction of a law seeking death penalty for rapists in the country.

He said though his call may not resonate with Liberia’s international partners, there is the need for tougher actions to be taken to end the menace of rape which is becoming rampant in the West African nation.

Source: Frontpage Africa

Photo source: GovernmentZA

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