–Justice Ministry’s SGBV Directress Speaks with WV
BY: SHALLON S. GONLOR
NIMBA COUNTY — Madam Oneta S. Roberts, the Directress of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Domestic Violence at the Ministry of Justice in Liberia, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting and protecting vulnerable women and children, emphasizing that this is a genuine concern.
“My office at the Ministry of Justice was established to support the Special Presidential Taskforce on SGBV and Domestic Violence in rural Liberia. This is why I am currently in Nimba,” she stated.
As a human rights activist focused on prison reform, Madam Roberts pledged to facilitate swift coordination among legal authorities to ensure that the rights of individuals, both inside and outside of prison, are respected.
She highlighted that the Government of Liberia, under the leadership of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, is genuinely concerned about the protection of human dignity. She added that the president’s ARREST agenda, which promotes the rule of law regardless of an individual’s status, is achievable through the Special Presidential Taskforce on SGBV and Domestic Violence program in rural Liberia.
In an exclusive interview with Women Voices News in Nimba County, Madam Roberts reiterated President Boakai’s commitment to creating a safe space for vulnerable women and children who have been victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence across the country.
Speaking on Thursday, October 3, 2024, in Ganta City, she addressed a range of gender and human rights issues in Liberia.
Madam Roberts emphasized that the Special Presidential Taskforce program encompasses comprehensive efforts, from prevention to rehabilitation and empowerment for survivors of SGBV and domestic violence.
During her visit to Nimba County, she paid a courtesy call to a 29-year-old woman who was brutally attacked with cutlasses and gang-raped by six men while working as a security guard at the Mount Tokadeh mines operated by AML in Gbapa Town.
“My visit was profoundly saddening. In my time in this position, I have not encountered a case where a woman was raped by six or twelve men. This should raise significant concern among senators, lawmakers, and even the Vice President, as this is their county,” the Directress of SGBV and Domestic Violence remarked.
Directress Roberts further called on President Joseph Boakai to arrest the situation with grave concern and financially support the fight against SGBV as the country battled economic crisis with our youths.” “The president should also grab this and should understand that we fight against this SGBV together financially as the country goes through hardship and SGBV cases become worse, especially with our youths.”
The Sexual Offenses Division Court at the 8th Judicial Circuit in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, on Thursday, September 19, 2024, sentenced two of six gang rapists to life imprisonment for raping a woman who was about six-to-seven months pregnant. The Ministry of Justice on July 22, 2024, indicted multiple defendants Ojuku Zuu, Emmanuel F. Saye, Prince First Sunday, Emmanuel Nyanplue, Abednego Albert, Nyansuah alias (God Three), and others to be identified for the commission of the crime of gang rape, a felony of the first degree.
The indictment furthered that the defendants in possession of cutlasses raided the Mount Tokadeh mines on May 15, 2024, at 3:00 a.m., and took hostage the victim and her supervisor, Patrick L. Yarmie who were serving as security guards for the Loyal Protective Guard Services [LPGS] and raped the victim one after the other.
Commenting on the judgment, Madam Oneta S. Roberts praised the judiciary for ensuring speedy and impartial justice in the case that has drawn national government concern. She added, “I want to thank the judiciary for such a unique step forward in the justice system. I am very happy about two, not ten, because twelve committed the act, and why only two were apprehended by the police in Sanniquellie while the other ten were at large. I am going to get back to the minister to see how best we can address this”.
Highlighting the human rights aspect, the Human Rights Activist for Prison Reform at the Justice Ministry promised a lawsuit against ArcelorMittal-Liberia, the Loyal Protective Guard Services [LPGS], and the victim’s husband for gross violation of the survivor’s right. “Yes, that’s sad about this case because upon talking to this lady and interviewing her, ah, she is severely depressed.” Madam Roberts said the 29-year-old rape victim explained suffering and alleged abandonment by the company and her baby’s father.
Recently, in this paper, WOMEN VOICES NEWS visited and held a conversation with a lady who narrated her challenges after her being abused. The mother-of-three and survivor of gang rape have meanwhile disclosed the inhumane treatment received from the management of the Loyal Protective Guard Services [LPGS], a security firm she served before being attacked and sexually abused overnight.
According to her, throughout the court process, she was left lonely and deliberately abandoned by the LPGS security firm for refusing to reach out to her. She further averred that the private security firm management team downsides her from her security post with no benefit besides her two months’ salary of USD 160 each month, amounting to USD 320.
Meanwhile, the Directress of SGBV and DV in rural Liberia and Human Rights Activists for Prison Reform at the Ministry of Justice has vowed to diligently restore the right of the rape survivor. Madam Oneta S. Roberts is optimistic about President Boakai’s A R R E S T agenda and the Special Presidential Taskforce on SGBV and DV in rural Liberia aimed to ensure zero tolerance in all forms of violence against women and children. She further committed herself to fostering numerous development plans to combat gender-based and domestic violence.
She stated that as a rural directress on SGBV and DV and human rights icon, she is committed to making every effort to ensure that vulnerable groups, especially women and children, are safe by preventing acts of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment through a regulatory framework documents, implementation of effective programs and strategies. She further noted that gang rape cases most frequently involved women and girls, as well as involuntary sodomy involving men to boys, elimination of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in both the public service workplace and schools are of genuine concern.
The directress of SGBV-DV and human rights advocate also urged Liberian women, especially market women, to keep wash on their kids and ensure that they are protected against any form of violence, assuring the public of the Ministry’s preparedness to achieve a zero-tolerance violence against women and young girls. Finally, The Directress of Sexual Gender Violence and Domestic Violence in rural Liberia and Human Rights Activist for Prison Reform at the Ministry of Justice stressed that it is a person’s right to freely participate in and practice Female Genital Mutilation.
She emphasized that though the UN and other international partners in Liberia are against the traditional rituals, the practice should continue for the sake of tradition. Sande Society is a traditional school that initiates young girls and women into adulthood by performing traditional rituals, including female genital mutilation (FGM). But the practice, which recently saw a resurgence, has been banned in parts of Liberia where it has been practiced.
Traditional women in the country where FGM is practiced, including Nimba County, handed over traditional tools used to perform FGM to signal an end to the practice. Traditional women in the country, including Liberia, where FGM is practiced, surrendered their tools to Chief Zanzan Karwor, the former Chairperson of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia, promising never to return.
