By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
LOFA, Liberia-Despite efforts by government and partners to end violence against women and children in Liberia, the act continues at an alarming rate.
In the northwestern Lofa County, as 22-year-old breast-feeding mother who was recently allegedly gang raped is calling for justice, as she explained her ordeal recently.
It all happened on Monday July 1, 2019 in Yanduhun town, Wanhassa district outside Lofa County’s capital, Voinjama during a community game that we had in the town on that day.
“So after the game, I went back to the house and lay by baby on my foot and started to breast feed my child and it was the time a boy identify as Momoh Paylama came to me with a cup containing what I saw to be milk and he also told me that it was milk and that was how I took the cup from him and drank it and he left with the empty cup,” the rape victim narrated.
After he left, my eye was just turning and I started to also fell that my feet were in a hole and I had no power to wake up.
While in that condition, my seven years old daughter came and took her litter sister from me and again saw the same Momoh Paylama boy and his friend but he was the only one I could identify his face and recognize his voice among the group because my eyes were turning bad way.
So when they came and jump on me, I shouted saying I somebody baby ma so your please leave me but they refuse to let me go and I could also hear my seven years old daughter caring but they still dragged me in the banana bush and as you can see the scathing marks all around my body.
After they did what they wanted to do, they left me and for two days I was unable to walk and I never also knew whether I had breast feeding baby because I was not to myself at all.
So when my boyfriend got the news he came back to the town and decided to carry me to the drug store in the town for treatment but because of my condition, we were advice to get to the health center in Bolahun and where we were also advise to rush to voinjama because my condition was getting worst.
What is even more shocking is that big town people asked us not to come to voinjama saying that if we do so, we will be potting the town in trouble and because we are from a poor background, we had to sell our three teen rice farm just for $6,000 Liberian Dollars to enable us come to the hospital in Voinjama.
Medical examination at the Tellewoyan Hospital in voinjama has confirmed that the 22 years old victim was temped with.
During the process according to doctors, three harmful objects were removed from within the victim’s private part indicated that the act was committed by more than one person and that the victim was overly used by the alleged perpetrators.
The victim who was discharged from hospital on July 11, 2019 said continuing her treatment as a breast feeding mother has become a serious challenge for her due to the lack of finances.
“I am currently stopping with a friend who I met at the hospital and she is trying her best but things are really difficult for us at the moment to even find food is a serious problem,” the 22-year-old victim indicated.
She wants government as well as humanitarian organizations and philanthropists came to their aid in ensuring that justice prevail and also in helping her seek further treatment and care for her breast feeding child.
Those wanting to reach out to the victim can do so through her friend Jowo Harley on cell numbers 0776014622 & 0880929188 or through journalist Tokpa Tarnue on 0776576649 / 0886465761 or tarnue82@gmail.com
The Plenary of the House of Representatives on July 4th 2o19 voted to pass into law the Domestic Violence Bill.
The bill among other things, is seeking tighter punishment for perpetrators of domestic violence and protection of victims/survivors.