PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – Liberia’s justice system still lags in its ability to provide justice for victims of sexual assaults. At the recent launch of the HeForShe campaign in Monrovia, Vice President Joseph Boakai publicly announced that women lacked access to justice and rule of law. Rape cases are on the rise in Liberia, with many perpetrators going free without prosecution.

The latest victim is the daughter of Dr. Joseph Dwana. The 14 years old girl was gang-raped on May 31, 2015 on a rainy Sunday morning on her way to the market.

Dwana says the teen was drugged multiple times before being gang-raped by five men. He believes the alleged perpetrators may be from the same community in Jacob Town although they have yet to be identified.

Dwana said the girl went missing for several hours after being sent to the market for food.

“We were getting late for church on Sunday when we [realized that] the girl was nowhere to be found. We grew concerned and started to search for her several hours, not knowing [that] my daughter was suffering in the hands of those evil doers.”

Dwana says his daughter eventually escaped and was escorted by a friend. He said by then, the helpless teen was bleeding when the family finally found her.

Although he reported the incidence to the police, Dwana says he decided to take his daughter to the one-stop shop for sexual and gender-based violence at the Hope for Women International.

Dwana did not find the police helpful.

“Can you imagine a police officer telling me that since I am a doctor, I should take care of my daughter because the perpetrators may not even be found? I want justice for my poor daughter, who has not even recovered from the drugs given [to] her.”

Dwana said medical reports revealed that the teen was so severely injured that she suffered from muscular bruises and dislocation of the pelvis.

“My daughter was sexually abused, and up till now, [I have received] no information from the police as to who has been apprehended?” Dwana said.

Jacob’s Town’s police depot commander, known only as “Col. Tarnue,” was unwilling to provide The Bush Chicken with his full name but did confirm the report of the case. He said none of the perpetrators have been apprehended, despite having brazenly left one of their phone numbers in the girl’s phone.

Tarnue says the number rang endlessly when the police called it. The Bush Chicken called the phone number, which resulted in the respondent shouting profanities when asked about the case and hanging up. The Liberian government already requires all SIM cards to be registered to an individual to aid in criminal cases. Tarnue vowed to continue the search for the perpetrators.

Since the teen was discharged from the hospital, she has continued to experienced physical pain and psychological trauma. Dwana said his daughter’s health is deteriorating, and she needs urgent attention.

Dwana said he notified the Ministry of Gender and the Women and Children Unit at the Liberian National Police, but he has not seen a real effort from them to come to his aid.

The Ministry of Gender handles psychological counseling, among other services, for sexual assault victims. According to the Coordinator of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Deddeh Quaqua, the ministry does not have the authority to prosecute cases of rape. She said it is regrettable that the issue of rape continues to be a significant issue in Liberia despite a greater awareness.

“The parents of the victims need to help us in getting to the bottom of the cases,” Quaqua said. She confirmed Dwana’s daughter’s case and pledged the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that justice is served.

Despite the criminalization of rape in a 2006 law, rape continues to occur at high levels in both rural and urban communities in the country.

According to the Ministry of Gender 2014 annual report, 8,427 cases of gender-based violence and rape cases were reported. The report revealed that four rape related deaths occurred in 2014 while ten deaths of children in 2013 as well. With numerous complaints of challenges in accessing justice when rape occurs, the government in 2009 established a special court to deal with such cases – Criminal Court E in Montserrado. Circuit courts in other counties have jurisdiction over rape cases. These courts have a poor record in convictions due to a variety of issues including lack of proper evidence handling by prosecutors.

This article has been modified to include information about the result of a call The Bush Chicken made to one of the alleged rapists. The phone number was also removed. Featured image courtesy of GovernmentZA