MONROVIA – Personnel of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection backed by the Liberia National Police (LNP) on Sunday stormed the residence of Madam Ne Suah Livingstone who is currently in custody of the three-year-old who was brutally raped in Gbarpolu County demanding her to turn the girl over to them.
Madame Livingstone told FrontPageAfrica that she refused to turn over the rape survivor as the neither the Ministry’s officials nor the police had any document to legally or officially request custody of the minor whom she had been giving medical care since the incident occurred over a fortnight ago.
The girl was entrusted to her by the Ministry of Gender, she said.
“All this while the victim been here in my care, but after our three-day anti-rape protest, Minister Tarr would sent her deputies along with the police on a Sunday to my private home for a child without any paper to show. My lawyer told me not to release the child without a proper document,” said Madam Livingstone.
Madam Livingstone said the Minister of Justice Frank Musa Dean later instructed the police to vacate her premises and asked her to settle the matter in house with the Minister of Gender.
She said she’s being accused by the Minister Tarr of parading the rape survivor in the streets during the three-day anti-rape protest.
Madam Livingstone posted to Facebook on Sunday regarding this allegation:
“This morning, I was called by Deputy Alice Howard from Gender Ministry that Minister Proper called her early this morning to inform her that she has received a reliable information that I Ne-Suah brought the 3 yrs old rape survivor from Gbarpolu n we were parading with her at
d three days March for Justice march!!!!
This is an aback to my reputation and my passion for the suffering n vulnerable children of Liberia!!!
I know better, even reporting rape survivor cases, I shield the survivors’’ identities, how could I be that stupid to break international protocols on d rights of rape survivors n bring an already traumatized baby to d march!!!
In response to Madam Livingstone’s disclosure, Ms. Howard Johnson explained that she went to the Livingstone’s house as early as 8am on Sunday morning after she had promised to turn the child over to the Ministry but was waiting for word from the child’s father.
However, according to the Deputy Minister, Madam Livingstone later refused to turn the child over so she called the police to intervene.
“Madam Livingstone and all other CSO in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, we consider them as partners, but once you breach the partnership, and the survivor is at stake, I called for the police. I did not put the police in her yard, she came running outside with people to attack the police,” she explained.
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