MONROVIA – The Organization of Liberian Communities in Nigeria (OLICON) has condemned the alleged raping of a 7-year-old on the premises of the embassy in Abuja, Nigeria.
Last week, Nat Bayjay, Minister Counselor for Press and Public Affairs at the Liberia Embassy in Abuja, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, claimed that his daughter was sexually abused by two children of one of the staffs working at the embassy.
“Straight to the point, one of my daughters, aged just 7 at the time, was unfortunately sexually abused over a period of seven months by not one but two different perpetrators,” Bayjay claimed.
And OLICON, the biggest all-Liberian community in Nigeria, says there is no justification for two boys to rape a 7-year-old.
“There would be no reason for any man to rape a woman, it’s a violence against women, least to mention a 7-year-old. She doesn’t deserve to be raped,” the group said.
OLICON said it stands for the protection and promotion of the general wellbeing of its members (Liberians), including the protection of women and girls, and called on the Government of Liberia for timely intervention to save the child’s life.
“We call on the Government of Liberia to give credence to its zero-tolerance commitment against sexual violence by handling this alleged rape incident appropriately as this will send a clear message that no one is above the law and” the group said in a statement.
It will serve as a deterrent to potential defaulters no matter how highly placed they are, while at the same time, encouraging other victims to report incidents of sexual abuse.”
The statement further stated that, “Ultimately, this incident has a bearing on the baby girl and her family’s emotional and mental well- being.
The group said as the matter is currently passing through due process of the law, “We call on the authority to expeditiously and legally deal with the case as well as call on all stakeholders, including the Government of Liberia, to assist not only the baby girl, but her family with both psycho-social and economic support.
Bayjay: “All efforts applied have been fruitless”
Bayjay noted that he has applied all diplomatic means to get the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dee Maxwell Keymayan, the Ministry of Information and the office of the President so that his daughter can seek a proper medication attention as the case being looked at in court but to no avail.
But the Liberian Embassy in Nigeria in a statement Wednesday December 8, 2021 said the alleged rape incident occurred between the children of two diplomatic families residing at the Abuja Mission’s compound in September 2020 but only came to light in mid-April 2021.
As a Government of Liberia diplomatic Mission, the Embassy says it wishes to reassure the public of its zero tolerance to all forms of sexual molestations, gender-based violence, and all forms of discrimination against women and girls.
“The Embassy wishes to assure the public that the matter received the full attention and engagement of the Ambassador and his diplomatic staff: a timely investigation was done from 19 to 21, May 2021, based on an administrative hearing involving all parties, and the report was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia on May 22, 2021, for its consideration,” the Embassy said.