Monrovia – Six women rights groups operating in the country have disclosed that they are concerned over video news reports emanating from the South Korean media involving two Liberian officials, Daniel Tarr and Moses Owen Browne, who had gone to South Korea to participate in the Sustainable Maritime Transport Training Program for Least Developed Countries.

They include the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH); Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI), Kids Educational Engagement Project (KEEP), Community Healthcare Initiative (CHI) and Network of Peace and Security Women in ECOWAS Countries (NOPSWECO)

The group in a press statement issued yesterday said in the shared news video, translations of the news at the bottom of the news read “Foreigners attending an international event in Busan have been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.”

According to them, the report then cuts to a video in which a man in uniform identifies himself as a police and asks persons inside to open the door.  The screams of women from inside can also be heard in the video. It was later reported that after a long standoff, the door finally opened and two men identified as the above-named individuals were detained. Two teenage girls were also reportedly rescued at 11 pm.

The statement indicated that, while the Liberia Maritime Authority has issued a statement noting that they will cooperate with the South Korean police; the Ministry of Gender has issued a statement calling for administrative action to be taken against the officials. We call on the two institutions to go further by ensuring that the two individuals are dismissed including taking action against all government officials that have been accused of rape until the due process can be done.

They noted in their statement that, the actions of the two individuals are not only unpatriotic and shameful; but also disrespectful, disgraceful, and embarrassing for a Representative of the Liberian government to portray himself in such a manner.  

 They also said President Weah is on record for referring to himself uncountable times as the feminist in Chief and has made countless statements calling for an end to SGBV, and supporting the development of the Roadmap. 

“Yet, for all his verbal commitments, women and girls of Liberia are yet to see the system work in support of women and girls; we are yet to see the President ensure accountability of highly placed individuals in his government who have been accused of rape and we are yet to see the government come up with a statement condemning the unwholesome behavior of two highly placed officials in the government” the statement noted.

The statement recalls that,  in September 2020, when Mr. Dee Maxwell Kemayah was accused of sexual harassment by staff within his office, women rights activists called on the President and the legislators not to confirm that individual until he was cleared of allegations of sexual harassment, those pleas fell on deaf ears as today, Mr. Kemayah is the Minister of Foreign Affairs” the statement said.

“If the Foreign Ministry must be the entity to spearhead this effort. Of course, with sexual harassment charges still pending for the Minister, how credible can the Ministry and the Government itself be viewed on the world stage? The statement wonder

The statement further that, In 2020, a member of the Special Security Unit, Mr. Joseph Jakey Brown, commissioned Gbarpolu to safeguard the peace and ended up with allegations of rape and torture during the Gbarpolu elections. He remains a trusted member of the security network to this date.

The Right then used the occasion to call on the Government and President George Manneh Weah to demonstrate accountability for gender equality by taking action to end impunity by holding government officials and all those who have proximity to power including Mr. Kemayah accountable for sexual allegations by dismissing them from their posts and ensuring that they go through due processes before.

 They also call on President Weah to ensure that the sexual offender’s registry is set up also ensure that the Ministry of Gender set up not only a Domestic Violence Fund to support victims of abuse but also a fund to support timely access to justice and Invest in the Referral Pathway and provide a periodic public report on the implementation of the SGBV roadmap