-In Nimba County
By: Shallon S. Gonlor
NIMBA COUNTY — A rising chorus of women and girls in Nimba County communicates their concerns about the alarming prevalence of intimate partner violence in their relationships. Recent reports indicate that nearly a quarter of women in relationships feel unsafe, suffering various forms of abuse at the hands of their partners.
Many women have shared their experiences, revealing that a significant number endure physical and/or sexual violence from intimate partners daily. This troubling trend comes amid a series of violent incidents that have led to tragic outcomes for women and girls involved in relationships with men.
On September 27, 2024, a particularly shocking incident in Monrovia’s White Plain Community highlighted the severity of the issue. Women in Nimba County condemned the actions of Malison Garpeh, 23, who is accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, 21-year-old Promise Gowah, and their six-year-old daughter. The violence reportedly erupted after Gowah discovered a traditional charm while washing Garpeh’s clothes. An argument ensued, leading to Garpeh leaving the area only to return later that night to allegedly commit the horrific act.
Women in Nimba County recounted that such violence has been a persistent issue for years. They referenced a protest that took place on July 6, 2024, where family members, friends, and students from YMCA High School marched through the streets of Ganta City, demanding justice for the murder of Ms. Rose K. Garpeh, who was killed by her husband, Shikeh Jallow.
Another violent incident occurred on July 29, 2024, in Gbarpa Town, where Emmanuel Gboe, 40, allegedly shot his wife, Kou Dolo, 35, inside their home with a single-barrel gun. Gboe claimed that his actions were provoked by disrespect from his wife and her mother.
In late 2023, a woman in her early 40s was killed by her boyfriend at the F2 Guest House in Pearson Community, Ganta City. Despite the gravity of the crime, no arrests have been made in connection with her murder.
Moreover, a 25-year-old woman named Young Cooper was found dead in Nengbehn Town, District #1, with her neck cut. In this case, Nimba County police arrested three suspects: Levin Yasiah, 45 (the deceased’s boyfriend), Lawrence Gono, 34, and Sampson Dolo, 38, who are currently under investigation.
In February 2023, the Nimba County 8th Judicial Circuit Court sentenced 33-year-old Ernest Gbarto to 80 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend in Sanniquellie, Nimba County. Gbarto attacked his girlfriend with a machete on the night of December 3, 2022, inflicting fatal injuries over accusations of infidelity and her refusals of his sexual advances.
Amid efforts to curtail physical and domestic violence against women in Liberia, perpetrators become more aggressive and violent, while the act goes rampant due to lawlessness. Speaking to WOMENVOICES NEWS correspondent in Nimba County, the young girls and women reemphasized the call for prevention and implementing measures by the national government and partners, including the legislatures.
They noted the tracking numbers and records of physical and domestic violence against women resulting in death, stating that the act is alarming for almost millions of Liberia young promising girls. “We have been subjected by an intimate partner,” young girls and women cry in loud voices. The women added, “Given that violence during these critical formative years can cause profound and lasting harms, it needs to be taken more seriously as a public health issue – with a focus on prevention and targeted support.”
According to them, intimate partner violence has devastating impacts on health, increasing the likelihood of injuries, deaths, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and many other physical and psychological conditions. Educational achievement, future relationships, and lifelong prospects can also be affected.
The concerned young girls and women of Nimba County further reiterated their appeals and further said violence against young women is most common in lower-income countries like Liberia, where they have weaker legal property ownership and inheritance rights compared to men.
To address the issue, the women and adolescent girls stressed the urgent need to strengthen and support services and early prevention measures geared towards adolescents. According to them, this should be accompanied by actions to advance women’s and girls’ ministry and rights, including school-based programs to educate both girls and boys on healthy relationships and violence protection, legal protection, and economic empowerment.
The UN health agency recalled that currently, no country is on track to eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets. Amid these findings, Nimba County Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono reiterated the Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, pledging to halve instances within the next decade.
This will involve preventive measures through education and awareness, focusing on relationship and respect education in schools, and a robust approach to prosecuting perpetrators. “And we know that ending sexual and harmful practices against vulnerable mothers and girls are just not possible without addressing barriers that face these women,” she said.
Supt. Gono said her administration’s largest commitment ever will aimed at campaigning to equip and empower vulnerable women and children to enable them to overcome the obstacles that have held them back for generations. Madam Gono’s vision also intends to protect women’s and children’s rights against all forms of violence hindered by unsafe and harmful attitudes toward the male gender. This segment of her statements was captured from her first acutance visit and induction speech delivered in May 2024.
