Monrovia, Liberia – The Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) is demanding the Government if Liberia intervention following a series of deaths and alleged assaults against women and girls across the country.
The organization is calling for immediate action to strengthen prevention, protection, and accountability, citing recent cases that it says expose serious gaps in Liberia’s justice system.
Among the cases cited is that of 19-year-old Dearest Paye, whose body was discovered on July 29 near the residence of a male acquaintance in the Omega Old Field Community, Paynesville. She had reportedly left home to retrieve her personal belongings.
The Liberia National Police, working with authorities in Sierra Leone, arrested the primary suspect, Augustine Lendeh, also known as “T-Boy,” in Kenema. He has been charged with murder and returned to Liberia to face prosecution.
WONGOSOL welcomed the arrest but said an arrest alone is not sufficient. The organization is calling for a thorough, evidence-based investigation and timely prosecution, and it insists that all evidence must be properly examined in accordance with Liberian law.
In Bong County, WONGOSOL is also raising concerns about the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found in a stream on August 4. The organization is further calling for answers in the case of Lorpu Kollie, who died following an alleged assault by her husband, Richard Denteh, a security officer, in Kollie-Ta Wolah, near Gbarnga.
According to the victim’s daughter, Fanta Kamara, a dispute over missing money escalated into violence. She alleges her stepfather stomped on her mother’s stomach. Ms. Kollie was pronounced dead upon arrival at a medical facility. WONGOSOL is urging the police to expedite investigations into both cases and to ensure accountability where crimes are established.
The organization has also taken note of allegations involving security personnel. Reports indicate that a pregnant woman identified as Princess was assaulted by officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency during a search at her residence in Paynesville. Her family claims she lost consciousness and later suffered a miscarriage.
The allegations have not been independently confirmed. WONGOSOL is calling for an impartial and transparent investigation, stating that security officers are entrusted to protect citizens and must never become sources of fear or harm. “No one is above the law, including those entrusted to enforce it,” the organization said.
WONGOSOL is reminding the government of Liberia’s obligations under national law, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Maputo Protocol. These commitments, the organization says, require concrete measures to prevent violence, protect women and girls, punish perpetrators, and provide access to justice.
The organization is demanding that the government ensure prompt investigations and timely prosecutions, strengthen security and access to justice in rural areas, enforce accountability within security institutions, invest in survivor-centered support services, and strengthen enforcement of existing laws.
WONGOSOL Executive Director Esther S. D. Yango appealed directly to families and communities.
“Women and girls must feel safe with the people they trust,” she said. “When a relationship is no longer working, walk away rather than turn conflict into violence. To our women and girls, when you no longer feel safe, seek help and get to safety. Your life is more important than any relationship.”
She also addressed men and boys: “Don’t take her life over a senseless argument. Walk away and save that daughter, mother, sister or grandmother. A moment of anger should never become a lifetime of regret.” WONGOSOL says it will continue to advocate for protection, accountability, and justice so that every woman and girl in Liberia can live free from violence and fear.
