Liberia: Inter-Religious Council Calls For Inclusive Partnership To Combat Against Rape

Monrovia – The President of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia (IRCL), Bishop Kortu K. Brown says the delay in the final adjudication of rape cases by courts across the country remains a major contributing factor responsible for the growing wave of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), especially rape in Liberia.

The IRCL is a conglomeration of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) and the National Muslim Council of Liberia (NMCL).

Speaking in an interview with FrontPageAfrica over the weekend in Brewerville, outside Monrovia, Bishop Brown pointed out that slow response from the relevant government actors and the delay in holding perpetrators accountable for their actions against minors and others continue to immensely contribute towards the social problem of rape in the nation.

He observed that the courts have not been proactive in adjudicating rape cases to serve as deterrence to others would-be rapists.

Bishop Brown added that combat against rape must be inclusive and systemic.

“We need to make sure that we are working with the courts. It is the courts that have to accelerate the dispensation of justice when it comes to the issue of rape allegations. The courts need to be timely adjudicating cases. And this is a contributing factor for rape in our country. The courts have to function properly and the police have to do their work too”.

He maintained that the combat against rape does not necessarily require the passage of new laws, because lots of laws (which he did not name) in Liberia are being shelved without proper implementation

“I don’t know whether our problem is making new laws. Liberia has a lot of laws on the shelves that are not being implemented. But there is a lot of works that need to be done by the Executive and Judiciary. If we have to accelerate our efforts aimed at curbing the high incident of rape in our country”.

He added that regardless of political affiliation or status, finding solutions to social challenges or injustices being permeated against minors and women should be the paramount concern of all Liberians.

Bishop Brown further termed “as devilish, satanic and pure madness the raping of minors for ritualistic purposes, but urged citizens not to narrow-mindedly blame indecent dress code of females as a reason for the escalating wave of the menace.

“You can’t say because women are dressed indecently and that’s the reason; that could be a moral value issue. Today, young babies are raped. We can’t be cherry-picking on the issue. We need to focus on the moral standing of our country”.

He indicated that the current situation in the country is gradually contributing to a “moral breakdown” and a gross disrespect to the values of women, including mothers and sisters in Liberia.

He maintained that rape remains a heinous crime in which mountainous wave remains “saddened”.

Strong partnership

It can be recalled that on July 29 of this year, President George Manneh Weah constituted an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce with a mandate to put into place a technical team comprising relevant stakeholders who will regularly discuss, consult and provide concrete and enforceable recommendations on enhancing the fight against SGBV.

On August 31, the Liberian Chief Executive received a roadmap dossier from the taskforce at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, outside Monrovia.

But Bishop Brown pointed out that though the move of establishment the taskforce and the subsequent presentation of a dossier are commendable, government must forge a strong partnership with stakeholders from the private and diplomatic sectors to help eradicate the increase in rape cases across the society.

According to him, the current situation is troubling, and as such, stakeholders, including civil society actors should sit around the table and help find solutions to the menace which is becoming the order of the day in Liberia.

He maintained that combat against rape cannot be curtailed or address by the government alone.

“We need to build a strong partnership-both public and private- the religious community, civil society organizations, Government of Liberia, and our international friends. We need to be clear about the direction we want to go. This is not an issue that anyone group can solve. This is the people’s problem and we need to find the means to address it”.

“We should all be resolved on how we address the issue of social injustice and challenges in our country. There should be no ruling or opposition to rape on teenage pregnancy. Rape is a social issue that has nothing to do with politics; and so, we need to address it as a nation and people. We need to make sure that we can find immediate, intermediate, and long term solutions to rape”.

Don’t be intimidated

Bishop Brown further called on the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah to avoid being intimidated by the continuous campaign against rape and other forms of sexual violence in the nation.

He urged the relevant authorities of the Liberian government to continue to play their individual role in curbing the increasing wave of rape cases.

“Government should not be intimidated by people who are trying to bring or create awareness to the issue (rape) like for example we saw campaigners in the streets for three days trying to raise awareness. I think that is critical and important for all of us. The way forward to addressing this social problem within our country is for us to come together”

“I don’t think anyone is going after the government particularly on this. I think what people are asking for is action. There is a need for the Ministries of Justice, Information and Gender to keep the country updated on what is happening. One of my concerns about Liberia is that we don’t even know what should divide us”.

The renowned Liberian clergyman commended Liberians for the campaign launched against rape.

It can be recalled that scores of citizens, mainly young women, staged a three-day protest in the country, calling on President Weah to declare the fight against rape a national emergency.

Bishop Brown termed the request from the campaigners as a “fair call” that must be yielded to.

“We commend the efforts of the people who took to the field to be able to raise awareness on rape. What we are appealing for is for a partnership table to be served which will bring all actors on board”.

He, however, urged the Executive branch, headed by President Weah, to take the lead in the fight against rape through the actualization of a comprehensive and holistic plan that reflects the consensus of all key actors.

Bishop Brown further cautioned family members against compromising rape cases.

“The families cannot continue to compromise rape cases. Sometimes people complained that people are lying on them because they have something against you. All of these things will require a fair and focus intervention so that we can step up on those things that intend to undermine this campaign”.

Appeal

He appealed to citizens to collectively work together to end the culture of rape in Liberia and urged religious leaders to use their various platforms to create awareness against SGBV, especially rape.

“We want to appeal to all Liberians; put sentiments aside and let’s come together and build a common front to address this menace. The churches and mosques are willing; we have the largest platform to speak to people. Some of the people we speak to weekly do not listen to the radio or read newspapers. But they go to the various places of worship and they believed in their religious leaders”.