Thousands of Liberians took to the streets in August 2020 to protest against a sharp rise in rape cases during the coronavirus lockdown. In response, president George Weah, who had previously proclaimed himself the “Liberian feminist in chief”, declared rape a national emergency. But, nearly two years later, many of the promises he made with that declaration appear forgotten.
Weah promised to appoint a special prosecutor for rape cases, set up a sex offenders’ register, and buy DNA-testing equipment to support the prosecutor’s work. Neither prosecutor nor register are in place, and the DNA equipment remains unused because no one has been trained to operate it.
The government has also failed to roll out courts specialising in sexual and gender-based violence trials (known as ‘criminal court E’) nationwide. The court is currently present in only three out of Liberia’s 16 counties.
