A Story of Justice- Bendora a Change Maker in her Town
Helping to save girls ...Here's the power of a small CBO in rural Liberia
“In Gobah Town, our community is speaking out now against rape. We are no longer silent.
This year something has changed, the whole community has joined the fight against rape. Two perpetrators were brough to justice, including a 46 years old man who raped a 13 years old girl. The Gobah Town CBO stood by her, supported her through the referral pathway awareness to access the safe home, and all the way until justice was served! Seeing her receive justice made the organization feel successful in our awareness campaigns.”
The Full Story
The situation was that the survivor was on her way to their farm when the perpetrator collected her and raped her. After the situation, he threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone. A few days later the girls started losing weight and urinating blood, and could barely walk well.
The perpetrator realizing the aftermath of his action on the minor he had raped, went under cover and offered $30 United States to the survivor’s grandmother so that she keeps thing secrete.
But when the community saw the 13-year-old girls constantly looking unhealthy, and declining in weight, some residents became concern and wanted to know the cause. That was how they contacted United Girls for Peace and Development headed by Bendora whom many knows as a fierce advocate of girls and women in the community.
The United Girls got fully involve with the case. They then contacted the Ministry of Gender Children and Social protection and then contacted the Liberia National Police. It was at that point that the perpetrator was arrested and taken to the capitol where he is currently serving a 6-year jail sentence. The survival was taken to a safe home and carter to medically at the CH Rennie Hospital in Kakata in Margibi County. She also received psychosocial counseling as well as survival support in cash that facilitated transportation and other needs while the court process was ongoing. After spending more than two weeks in care, the survivor recovered and her biological mother who was based in Bong County, went and took delivery of her child and the child is currently in Bong County and no longer in Gobah Town.
As the result of the successful handling of this case where justice was served, and given the stance of Bendora and her United Girls for Development that saw to it that the perpetrator is now serving his jail sentence at the Monrovia Central Prison, it has made men afraid to even beat or violence any girl of woman within Gobah Town.
Wife battling or beating, and sexual violence were very common in their community according to Bendora but the case involving the 13-year-old girl has turned a lot around in the town for girls and women. Bendora says beyond just rape and sexual violence cases, families are even now refusing to send their children to Monrovia or other places to live with people which is mostly linked to internal human trafficking.
“What the case has done for our community is that, men are now afraid to beat on their women, and mess around with children. Although when I am passing the community called me names, saying how we are the ones reporting people in the town, but at least they now know that they will not go free for abusing any girl or anyone.”
I want to Thank ActionAid and the JEC project that empowered me and today we can stand up for our community and for other girls and women.” Bendora Washington