PHOTO: One of several women murder victims in Bong County
By Emmanuel Mafelah, afelahemmauel29@gmail.com
Gbarnga, Liberia- Several women groups in the central Bong County have strongly condemned the continuing murder of women and girls in the County.
They are urging the Liberian government through the Justice Ministry to speedily prosecute hard-core crimes perpetrated against women without fear of favor.
According to the women groups, men continue to perpetrate murder and other serious forms of violence against their female children on a daily basis.
In December 1993, the United Nations General Assembly issued a Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. And Article 4 says that:
“States should condemn violence against women and should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination. States should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end, should:
(a) Consider, where they have not yet done so, ratifying or acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or withdrawing reservations to that Convention;
(b) Refrain from engaging in violence against women;”
Recently, police in Gbarnga arrested charge and sent to court a 28-year-old man identified as Sulon Mulbah in Sanoyea District for gruesomely murdering his girlfriend, who had just given birth two weeks earlier, Hawa Gbokolo, age 22, a resident of Jarpkah Town. The tragic incident happened on Wednesday, May 29, 2019.
According to the report, Hawa’s jealous boyfriend stabbed her to death when they both met on a farm road in Sanoyea District. And he later dumped her corpse in a nearby swamp.
Mr. Sulon Mulbah, who was charged with murder by the Liberia National Police on June 8, 2019, is presently in custody at the Gbarnga Central prison, awaiting court trial.
During police preliminary investigations, suspect Mulbah expressed bitterness over his girlfriend returning home late as he claimed he was already seeing her with another man. According to him, his anger caused him to stab her with a knife two times, but the sharp instrument couldn’t penetrate Hawa.
“I killed my new born baby ma, because I suspected her of loving to my friend, Archie Boy in Jarpkah Town during her pregnancy. Upon noticing said occurrence, I immediately forwarded his complaint to the Town Chief and the girl’s parents. But there was no intervention into my matter,” Sulon Mulbah added.
Mr. Mulbah accused the late Hawa Gbokolo’s mother and father of giving his baby mother to another man, adding that his in-laws are also responsible for the act committed by him.
“I bought washing soap for her to wash my baby clothes, but she used it to wash her boyfriend Archie Boy clothes, she couldn’t sleep to my house again, but to her parent’s house with Archie,” Sulon added.
The women groups also cited the tragic death of 17-year-old Satta Binda, whose naked body was discovered in Gbartala, Yellequelleh District on the night of Sunday, September 16, 2018 at the Commissioner’s Compound.
They also referenced the death of Angeline Kolleh, a resident of Gbarnga who was killed in a similar manner in July 2017.
The perpetrators were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to life imprisonment. In another incident, Moses Porkpah allegedly murdered his wife Doris Nyah, for not serving him sufficient food, among other gruesome incidents in recent times.
One of the women rights activist, Madam Mammie Moore, a resident of the Frank Joe community wants people committing such crimes against women to be swiftly brought to justice for prosecution.