Liberia Declares Rape 'National Emergency' After Alarming Spike in Sexual Assault Cases

Monrovia, September 12: Amid an alarming spike in sexual cases across Liberia, President George Weah on Saturday declared rape as a "national emergency". The announcement was preceded by a list of measures unveiled by his government to improve the state of security for women and children. Pakistan Woman Gangraped In Front of Kids on Highway, Human Right Activists Seek Lahore Police Chief's Resignation.

Weah, in a press conference on Saturday, said the government will appoint a special prosecutor for rape to expedite convictions in cases of sexual assault. A national sex offender registry would also be maintained to keep a track on the number of rape cases and blacklist the perpetrators.

In order to overhaul the security provided to women, the Liberian government will set up the "national security task force". The high-powered panel will be tasked with reducing sexual and gender-based violence, Weah said.

Liberia, a country with 4.5 million population, is worst-affected by rape crimes. Analysts claim that the rampant sexual assault in the nation is a dark legacy inherited by the 14 years of civil war between 1989-2003, when sexual assault was a commonly executed war crime.

To this date, the rate of conviction remains astonishingly low in the country. Out of the 803 rape cases officially recorded in 2016, the perpetrators were convicted in only 2 percent of the cases. The Liberia's Women Empowerment Network, a non-governmental organisation, has recorded over 600 rape cases this year between June and August.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2020 11:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).