Rapes, Gang Rapes and Ritualistic Killings Will Continue in Liberia until Pres. Weah Fulfilled One of His Election’s Promises

Anti-rape advocates shouldn’t forget that Mama Liberia inherited a 16-year brutal civil genocide that left behind a: “War mentality”, “Worriers’ mentality”, “Killing mentality”, Gang Rape mentality”, “Hijacking mentality”, “Threatening the lives of others mentality”, “Stealing mentality”, “Hostile mentality”, “Corruption mentality”, “Bloodletting mentality”, “Property theft mentality”, and “Raping mentality”, as a result, a 3-year old baby was raped in Gbapolu and the perpetrator used a shape razor blade to cut the innocent baby’s private parts to facilitate penetration with no impunity. The late Yatta Kamara was raped and killed in cold blood with no impunity. Student Odell Sherman was raped and murdered with no impunity. The Liberia National Police under President Weah has compromised rape cases with no action taken against them.

Anti-rape demonstrators should be calling for the institution of the TRC that will weed out these dangerous criminals in Liberia rather than present a petition that to President Weah that will not see daylight.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights revealed an estimated 803 cases between January 2015 through March 2016 and there was no solution in sight. The Gender Ministry reported 667 sexual assault cases on babies, girls, and women, and 43 girls and women were gang-raped but there was no solution in sight. Maj. Gen. Prince C. Johnson, Liberia Chief Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia called for a death penalty for rapists, but no one listens. The Action for Justice and Human Rights (AJHR) called for immediate action, no one heeds their calls. Rev. Dr. Simon L. Dunbar calls for more action no one listens. Reputable newspaper editorials joined the fight but to no avail. Opposition Cummings confronted President Weah with no solution in sight.

The Liberia Rape Law of section 2:14.70 which specifically referred to gang rape and qualified it as a first-degree felony crime with 10-years behind bars, the Weah Justice Minister Musa Dean has no time to enforce such law. The Justice Minister Musa Dean cannot be blamed because his boss, President Weah vehemently rejected the anti-rape demonstrators’ petition to punish rapists across Liberia. The ongoing rapes, gang rapes, and ritualistic killings of innocent women and girls in Liberia were introduced in the Liberian civil war.

It is being repeated because there had been no penalty for the perpetrators under the then President Sirleaf as well as President Weah’s government.

What is conspicuously shocking is the participation of the then President Sirleaf in the anti-rape demonstration which is more of a strong betrayal of Liberian babies, girls, and women who were themselves raped during President Sirleaf’s 12-years in office. What did she do then, and what can she do now that power no longer resides in her domain? Others see her role in today’s demonstration as a betrayal of babies, girls, and women in Liberia.

When President Weah embarked on his political career in 2012, he promised to undertake two important development as part of his many political promises made to Liberians. First, he promised to reinstitute the TRC, second, he promised to audit the then Sirleaf’s administration. But he has blatantly Renate on these promises. This is a clear indication that Political elections in Liberia have an enormous consequence especially when promises made are not kept to the teeth.

The ongoing gang rapes, rapes, and ritualistic killings of innocent girls and women across Liberia can be attributed to the blatant failures of President Weah to enforce the TRC’s that would have tracked gruesome perpetrators of many different crimes since the demised of the Liberian civil genocide. Since there was no penalty for the perpetrators during the civil war, there will continue to be tripled gang rapes, rapes, and the killing of young innocent girls and women across Liberia until President Weah enforces the TRC.

Currently, there are over 16000 plus ex-rebels, and thousands and thousands of others criminals who committed different hideous crimes during the war are currently the so-called hardened criminals, domestic terrorists, hijackers, rogues, gang rapists, armed-Robbers, dangerous rapists, and day-light murderers in our midst walking free with impunity on the streets of Mama Liberia.

These groups were never punished as a result they still carry out gang-rapes, rapes in normal day Liberia under President Weah’s watch, but before then it was under former President Sirleaf watch as well. Even the World Health Organization traces the high incidences of sexual abuse in the West African nations, in part, to the country’s civil war in which about 61 to 77 percent of women and girls are raped and still being raped under President Weah’s government.