By Grace Q. Bryant
The Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), with support from Kvinna till Kvinna, recently donated over 3,000 medical report books to aid survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
These books were presented to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection and the Ministry of Justice.
The Program Manager of WONGOSOL, Willet L. Salue, explained that this initiative is part of a project titled ‘Strengthening Collaborations and Responding to GBV, Economic Empowerment and Increase Representation of Women in Political Leadership at County and National Levels in Liberia.’
Funded by SIDA, this project enhances collaborations, establishes networks to amplify women’s voices, reduces violence, and sustains the socio-economic empowerment of women in Liberia.
“This initiative is geared toward strengthening the monitoring and response services for SGBV in coordination with national actors to reduce gender-based violence in Liberia,” Salue said.
Salue noted that WONGOSOL jointly monitors and supports frontline SGBV actors through existing early warning structures in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice’s Sex Crime Unit.
She emphasized the importance of medical report books for SGBV survivors at one-stop centers, highlighting their role in providing detailed documentation of the survivor’s physical and psychological condition, which is essential for legal proceedings; accurate records support the survivor’s case in court, aiding in the prosecution of perpetrators.
The books also ensure continuity of care, allowing all healthcare providers involved in the survivor’s care to access consistent and comprehensive information, which is vital for effective treatment and follow-up care.
Receiving the medical books, Deputy Minister of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Prtoection, Laura Golakeh, expressed gratitude and discussed the Ministry’s efforts to map existing structures in Liberia to combat gender-based violence.
She acknowledged the significant challenges faced and emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing these issues.
Golakeh mentioned that the Ministry has established a legal unit to handle employment cases and liability issues, specifically working with the gender-based violence division to support survivors and stressed the need for evidence in judicial proceedings and the importance of tools like the medical report books in providing relief to survivors.
Atty Golakeh also highlighted the Ministry’s goal of developing a gender-based violence Information Management System to support their efforts in fighting gender-based violence and expressed optimism about working together with various stakeholders to achieve this goal and improve support for SGBV survivors in Liberia.
The Minister of Health emphasized the critical role of the medical report books in the overall health response to SGBV issues.
They are working on streamlining processes and ensuring that resources such as stationery and cash cards for one-stop centers are available, reinforcing their commitment to support community efforts in addressing SGBV.
