MONROVIA (AFP) — The UN special representative to Liberia called Monday for specialised police units to deal with sexual violence against women, a problem that remains widespread in the civil war-ravaged country.
Alan Doss was addressing the opening of Liberia's general assembly of church councils in the capital Monrovia, where Vice-President Joseph Boaki also called for action against the problem.
"The first line of defence in the fight against gender-based violence is peace because women and girls are usually the first victims of war," Doss said.
"However, even in time of peace special measures are needed to protect women and children against violence especially rape."
According to government figures, there were 568 recorded rapes in Liberia last year, and this year's toll is on course to reach 1,000.
But the real figure is thought to be much higher as the victims, many of whom are very young, are often ashamed to report that they have been raped for fear of being rejected by their communities.
Boaki told the meeting: "Women who played a very significant role in bringing peace to Liberia are being abused daily.
"I have raised the establishment of a special court with the chief justice, so that the perpetrators can be severely punished."
A special programme to encourage more women to join the Liberian police was launched with the help of the UN earlier this year, although so far only 203 of more than 3,500 newly trained officers are women.
Doss also called for a zero tolerance approach to sexual violence, as well as an improvement in the healthcare available to victims and a speeding up of the judicial process to deal with such crimes.
Rape was widely used as an instrument of terror in Liberia's 14-year civil war that, according to UN figures, killed 270,000 people.
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