More than a decade after the civil war in Liberia ended, sexual violence remains rife. While rape was systematically used as a weapon of fear and shame during the fourteen-year war , the incidence of sexual violence against women in Liberia today still remains one of the highest in the world. Doubts about the effectiveness of the courts, a lack of confidence in the system, as well as the low number of successful prosecutions, mean that survivors are reluctant to pursue legal channels.
Of some one-thousand-five-hundred women who sought help at a one-stop center for the survivors of sexual and gender based violence SGBV , only around a quarter went on to report the assault to police. Another of the overwhelming challenges facing the courts today is the time it takes to deal with pre-trial detainees, who on average spend years in jail before any court appearance. At the start of this year, IDLO began work in Liberia on a project aimed at improving judicial accountability for sexual violence offenses.
Earlier this month, IDLO brought together - for the very first time - the different parties working in the court system, from prosecutors, public defenders and court administrators to defense lawyers and probation officers. Despite having started by fining prosecutors for appearing late in court, they gave him credit for the way he has taken charge; cases are reported to have already been dealt with more speedily. As a broader strand of this project, IDLO will also be working with civil society organizations to improve support and protection services for victims and witnesses of SGBV.
Skip to main content. Subscribe to IDLO. Liberia: Prosecuting gender violence crimes. Many had rarely, if ever, spoken to each other. Image Description:. Facebook LinkedIn Twitter. Printer-friendly version.
