A female representative aspirant of district#5 in Montserrado County, Prescilla Abram-Cooper is calling for the establishment of a specialized hospital that will only cater to rape victims in the country. Aspirant Cooper made the call when she appeared on a local radio station on Thursday. According to the representative hopeful, rape victims need special treatment and care and as such there is a need for a dedicated healthcare center just to address rape cases. She said the specialized hospital should also consist of trauma unit, consoling and social rehabilitation center. Madam Cooper noted that when one gets rape, it is not only medical issue that needs to be addressed but also trauma healing and consoling. She said rape victims suffer from mental trauma and are stigmatized after such incident and they need mental rehabilitation. Madam Cooper said if she gets elected she will make sure that such facility are given serious consideration. She said she will lobby for such facility and make sure rape victims are cater to. She also added that there is a need to enforce the rape law and empower the ministry of Gender and Children Protection. This will be the first time in the country’s history for rape victims to have a special medical facility to cater to rape victims.
According to a survey conducted in Liberia by New Narrative NGO between 2021 and 2021 first quarter of the year, more than half of the rape victims are aged between 11 and 15. One out of every five victims is under 10 years and 17 victims were under five..
The true number of women and children raped in Liberia is unavailable because most rapes go unreported. But girls under 15 bear the heaviest burden according to data collated by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Of the cases reported to sexual violence clinics in Montserrado, the biggest county by population, seven out of every ten were perpetrated on girls under 18 years of age.
She also seek to promote women’s participation in national politics and is calling for the establishment of the War and Economic crimes. Adding that there is a need to have a closure to this matter one and for all. She also commended the US government for standing by the Liberian people in the fight against corruption.
