Cape Mount, Bomi compromise rape case for tradition

Cllr. Wesseh discloses

 By Lincoln G. Peters

Assistant Justice Minister for Litigation Cllr. Wesseh A. Wesseh says the Government of Liberia has not won a single rape case in Western Liberia due to priority given to traditional practices there and limited legal knowledge on rape, accusing parents in that region of compromising rape cases.

Speaking in an interview over the weekend, Cllr. Wesseh said the government has failed over the past time in mitigating rape cases in Western Liberia, particularly in Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties because citizens in those counties are highly traditional and do not believe rape is a crime.

He lamented that in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties, the Government of Liberia has lost several rape cases which have clear evidence from medical reports and oral testimonies, only because people there do believe that their tradition provides that persons below (18) can get married and have children.

“Fighting rape in Western Liberia, particularly Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties is a big challenge for the government. The people in those Western counties believe in their tradition and therefore, nothing of such is a crime. We have had evidence upon evidence and jurors have set indicted persons free, only because of tradition,” said Cllr. Wesseh.

Wesseh believes that the Government of Liberia needs to provide legal training and awareness to people in Western Liberia to help them understand that once a person is below the age of 18 years and has sex, it amounts to rape.

“Maybe that legal knowledge will help people in the western region of Liberia to help government defeat rape in that part of the country,” Wesseh indicated.

He said it’s so saddening that children’s lives and destiny are tampered with by other people only because of traditional practice and the perpetrator is set free.

According to Cllr. Wesseh, there has been a case in Grand Cape Mount County where a 22 – year – old boy tampered with the private part of an underage female, but the perpetrator was also set free by jurors in the county.



Additionally, he said there was another case from Bomi where a 45 – year – old man raped a child and that case was compromised by the parents. Reflected that when it was time to hear the case, the mother of the child ran away with the child.


Meanwhile, Cllr. Wesseh has government and the people in Western Liberia to put the law above traditional believe because it’s not doing anything good for the children of the counties.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/cummings-decries-high-rape-cases-in-liberia/—Edited by Winston W. Parley