MONROVIA — The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) have strongly condemned a violent public assault in which a young woman was pulled from a motorcycle, stripped naked, and humiliated by a group of men in the Red Light Market — an attack both organizations say was motivated by her choice of clothing.
In alignment, the government ministry and the country’s largest women’s civil society coalition rejected any attempt to frame the assault as “cultural correction” or moral enforcement, instead labeling it a criminal act of gender-based violence and sexual assault. “Stripping a woman naked in public is not culture, discipline, or morality; it is violence, abuse, and a direct attack on her dignity and human rights,” WONGOSOL said in its statement, describing the actions captured on video as “shameful” and “worse than beasts.”
The Ministry of Gender echoed this position with equal force: “This act was not ‘cultural correction’ or moral enforcement. It was a criminal act and a grave violation of the woman’s human rights and dignity. No individual or group has the authority to violently police another person’s body, clothing, or personal freedom.”
Both statements directly challenged the notion that the victim bore any responsibility for what happened to her. “Questions about what a woman wore must never overshadow the more important question: why did grown men choose violence, humiliation, and abuse?” the Ministry asked.
WONGOSOL directed particular condemnation at the male perpetrators and onlookers. “Real men protect women; they do not join crowds to violate and humiliate them,” the organization stated. “If their true intention had been to cover her body, they would have allowed the young woman to wear the wrapper reportedly provided. Instead, they chose violence, lawlessness, and public humiliation.” The statement added a personal appeal: “Disgracing one woman is disgracing your own mother, sister, wife, or daughter at home.”
Both organizations cited Liberian law and international treaties to underscore the illegality of the attack.
The Ministry emphasized that “violence against women must never be normalized, excused, celebrated, or ignored,” while WONGOSOL specifically invoked Article 11 of the Liberian Constitution, the Revised Rape Law, and international instruments including CEDAW, the Maputo Protocol, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — all of which affirm a woman’s right to live free from degrading treatment and violence.
The Ministry took the additional step of condemning those who filmed, cheered, or defended the assault.
“Silence and complicity only strengthen the culture of violence and impunity that threatens the safety and dignity of women and girls across Liberia,” the statement warned. Both press releases contained urgent demands directed at the Liberia National Police (LNP).
The Ministry called on police to “immediately identify, arrest, and prosecute every individual involved in this assault, including those who visibly participated in the attack captured on video or identified through witnesses’ accounts. The law must be applied fully. Mob violence is not justice, and public outrage does not excuse criminal conduct.”
WONGOSOL issued an identical demand, stating that “accountability is necessary to deter future acts of mob violence and public abuse against women and girls.” The Ministry announced it has “intensified efforts to establish contact with the victim,” while WONGOSOL specifically called on the Ministry to “urgently provide psychosocial counseling and protection support for the survivor, who has undoubtedly suffered emotional and psychological trauma from this horrific incident.”
Beyond law enforcement, both organizations appealed to the broader public. The Ministry called on women’s rights organizations, civil society, youth groups, religious leaders, and all Liberians to “speak out against all forms of violence against women and girls,” declaring that “protecting the dignity, safety, and rights of women is a shared national responsibility.”
WONGOSOL addressed men and young people directly, urging them to “desist from acts that degrade and dishonor women,” adding: “Liberia cannot progress while women continue to face violence, humiliation, and public abuse at the hands of those who should be protecting them.”
The Ministry concluded with a message to those who carried out the attack. “Violence does not demonstrate strength, morality, or leadership,” the Ministry said. “True strength is demonstrated through respect, discipline, and the protection of the rights and dignity of others.” The Ministry further affirmed that “Liberian women and girls must be free to move, work, dress, and live without fear of harassment, assault, or public humiliation. Any society that permits mob attacks against women undermines the principles of justice, human dignity, and national peace.”
