ACTIONAID PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 12 August
For immediate release
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News peg: Hillary Clinton’s visit to Monrovia, Liberia (12 August)
ActionAid urges Clinton to help combat gender based violence in Liberia
Monrovia, August 12, 2009—US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is being urged to prioritize resources to help reduce sexual and gender based violence in Liberia.
“We are urging the United States to support Liberia to strengthen state institutions and facilitate judicial reform to deal with the high number of cases of sexual and gender-based violence,” said Ernest Gaie, ActionAid’s Country Director in Liberia.
The United States is a key proponent of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820, recognising sexual and gender based violence as a war crime, denying women dignity and confidence to participate in private and public life.
“Secretary Clinton is uniquely positioned to lead the United States to support the full implementation of this resolution by prioritising resources for sexual and gender based violence and reproductive health services as a means of stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS,” added Gaie.
Sexual and gender based violence is deeply embedded in cultural beliefs and practices in Liberia. Yet the judicial system is ill equipped to deal with the high number of conflict and post-conflict cases of rape. The national Gender Based Violence task force reported well over 600 cases of rape in the first half of 2008 alone out of which 111 were of girls aged 17 and below.
The US and the government of Liberia should support civil society organisations and women’s rights movement in the country to create greater awareness about the existing national gender laws and international conventions supporting the rights of women.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
Over ninety percent of women who participated in the 2005 WHO research in 10 out of 15 Liberian counties had been victims of sexual abuse.
Sixty-two percent of Liberian women face stigmatisation, 27 percent suffer rejection and 23 percent suffer divorce as a consequence of sexual and gender based violence according to the 2005 WHO report.
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