Demands Immediate Action From The Justice Ministry And Market Authorities

PHOTO: YWARPD Executive Director, Ms. Ms. Richelle Allison

MEDIA RELEASE

MONROVIA, LIBERIA — SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 — Young Women Actions for Rights, Peace and Development (YWARPD) issues a fierce condemnation regarding the recent, deeply alarming escalation of public mob violence, assault, and systemic humiliation targeting young women across major commercial hubs in Liberia.

This urgent statement follows a horrific incident on September 24, 2026, in Monrovia, where two young women were targeted by a lawless mob, stripped naked in public, and subjected to severe physical and psychological trauma under the pretext of unproven allegations of theft.

This viral incident represents a dangerous and unacceptable escalation in a weaponized trend of public gender-based violence. YWARPD has documented similar brutal mob assaults as recent as May of this year involving a young woman targeted for her clothing choices, and the horrific January 2026 murder of an older woman stripped and killed following weaponized allegations of witchcraft.

“We are witnessing a devastating collapse of basic human rights, bodily autonomy, and core human dignity in our public spaces,” stated Ms. Richelle Allison, Executive Director of YWARPD. “Our public marketplaces have transformed from spaces of economic empowerment into zones of terror and lawless bystander inaction. When a woman can be stripped naked, beaten, and humiliated while crowds record videos for social media, the safety and dignity of every single Liberian woman is under imminent threat. This culture of normalization and impunity must be dismantled immediately.”

Operating through a rigorous human rights and survivor-centered advocacy framework, YWARPD  seek to undertake an intensive initiative intended to l provide immediate psychosocial mental health first aid to survivors, launch behavior-change public campaigns, and establish binding security protocols.

To halt this crisis and ensure that public spaces remain safe for all, YWARPD explicitly demands the following immediate actions:

• To the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police: We demand the swift tracking, arrest, and rigorous prosecution of all individuals captured in the September 24th viral video participating in the assault and public stripping of the two young women. Mob justice is a crime, and public stripping is a severe criminal offense under the Domestic Violence Act. Impunity must end now.
• To the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA): We demand that local market superintendents transition from passive bystanders to active enforcers of order. Market authorities must sign and strictly enforce a Zero-Tolerance Safety Protocol, making market leadership institutionally liable if a woman is harassed, assaulted, or stripped under their watch.
• To the Public and Transport Unions: We call upon commercial motorcyclist unions, transit drivers, and market vendors to actively reject the culture of mob violence. We urge the public to refuse to participate in, film, or share videos of women’s humiliation, and instead act as protection networks to safeguard our sisters.

YWARPD stands in complete solidarity with the survivors of these horrific acts. We will not look away, and we will not remain silent while the dignity of Liberian womanhood is stripped away. The time for bureaucratic delay is over; we demand justice, accountability, and safe spaces for every woman and girl in Liberia.

About YWARPD

YWARPD was founded in July 2022 to serve as an advocacy mechanism and platform for young women participation in issues affecting their participation, development and survival. The organization grew out of the felt need to amplify the voice of young women.

The organization was founded by young women from a number of universities across Liberia and seeks to serve as the main platform for young women engagements in a number of activities affecting their development.  YWARPD is a member of the Global Coalition for Democracy, the West African Youth Network (WAYN) and the Working Group for CSOs, Women and Private Sector for NAP Implementation in Liberia.