Monrovia – In observance of the 16 days of activism, Action Aid and Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) have held a one-day round table discussion on the effectiveness of the Rape Law and measures to reduce the incident of rape in Liberia.
Report by Mae Azango maeazango@frontpageafricaonline.com
The roundtable discussion held at the Sharks Entrainment Center in Air Field, Monrovia, brought together female lawyers, women and men from the Ministries Justice, Gender, the Police and its women and children protection unit, Civil Society and the media to discuss the role new rape law in reducing incidents of rape in the country.
Cllr. Felicia V. Coleman, former Chief Prosecutor of SGBV unit at the Ministry of Justice, who gave an over view of the rape law with emphasis on grading and sentencing, said the new Rape law provides several changes with the old rape law to improve the law.
The intent of the new rape laws, according to her, is to curtail the increasing incidents of rape across the country and provide stable penalty for perpetrators.
It seeks to address the shortcomings of the old rape law.
“The old law did not include gang rape; it was only after the war a lot of gang rapes were happening that was not addressed in the rape law.
So this was one of the things included in the new rape law.
The object of the new rape law is to broaden the definition of rape and include other sexual offences that were not in the old rape law.
It provides for civil penalty for rape that makes certain types of rape difficult to be bailed,” Cllr. Coleman said.
Cllr. Coleman further pointed out that in the old rape law, only men could rape, while the new rape law states that women can also rape.
Differentiating between the old definition of rape that was only applicable to men and the new definition that holds both male and female liable, she said:
“The definition of rape is any person who have sexual intercourse with another person, if he intentionally penetrates any opening of another person without the victim’s consent, is liable of rape.
But the second definition states, if he or she penetrates any opening of another person with a foreign object without the victim’s consent is also liable of rape.
Unlike in the old rape law that said only men could rape, but now women can rape as well, so this has broaden the rape law,” she emphasized.
Cllr. Coleman further indicated that any perpetrator who is 18 and above can be charged with rape, but any perpetrator below the age of 18, cannot be charged with rape.
“Any person who rapes a person under 18 goes to prison for 10 years.”
While for gang rape, she said: “Any person, who facilitates rape or gang rape of another person, can also be charged with rape, because he or she probably allowed the person or persons to use his or her room to commit the crime.”
During the round table interactive discussion, both men and women asked many questions and listed several hitches addressing rape issues in the country, which included:
-Police having logistical problem in addressing rape issues
-Why younger boy under 18 cannot be charged with rape when in fact they sometimes penetrates younger girls less than five year.
-What happens to husbands who rape their wives?
-How can the issue of rape apply to customary laws interfering with the statutory laws in the marriage of girls under age at 16 or less?
-The reason why many women protect their husbands and compromise rape cases of their child or their relative is because if the husband, who is the bread winner of the home, goes to jail, the children’s responsibilities will fully rest on the woman who may not be working to support the home.
The participants went in to groups to discuss measures for the crime of rape serving as a deterrent and why is rape on the increase?
“Is Rape on the increase, If yes, what are the causes? What can be done to stop or reduce the incidence of rape?”
Last month, the Carter Center gathered over 200 chiefs, elders and women from the sixteen counties of Liberia, who assembled in Gbarnga, Bong County to discuss rape and the penalty of castrating men who rape children below ten, and life imprisonment for men who rape above ten.
The presented a position statement to the Internal Affairs Ministry, who promised to pass it to the President during cabinet meetings.