The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection has released alarming statistics revealing that children as young as ten years old are involved in acts of sodomy across the country. Nimba and Bong Counties are reported to have the highest incidences.
Addressing the media during the MICAT press briefing on Thursday, June 13, Gender Minister Gbeme Kollie expressed deep concern over the findings. “What may have triggered such deviant behavior, especially involving kids, is a matter of grave concern,” Minister Kollie stated. She emphasized the need for immediate action to address the root causes and protect vulnerable children.
The report highlighted that during the 2023 period under review, about 215 Liberians were sodomized, and at least 2,989 cases of rape were recorded. Minister Kollie described these statistics as “alarming” and called for urgent attention from all sectors of society.
In response to the disturbing trends, Minister Kollie announced a new initiative aimed at providing support for the approximately 360,000 children currently living on the streets. She stated that twenty percent of these children have been targeted to benefit from the initiative over the next five years, signaling a significant effort to improve their living conditions and reduce their vulnerability.
In 2020, young people under the banner of March for Justice led a three days of protests across Liberia, demanding more robust measures to protect children and ensure justice for victims. The protests brought renewed focus on the issues of child protection and gender-based violence in Liberia and ensured the establishment of a specialized fund to combat rape and sodomy.
The US$2 million fund was expected to minimize the incidences of rape and protect children but with the new increase in cases of rape, experts are concerned over the utility of the funds. “The rape fund was established to reduce the occurrences of rape and not increase it”, said Mike Kollie who was among the young people protesting in 2020. “If the ceases are reducing rather than increasing then there is a problem”, he added.
