Challenges of implementing the Rape Amendment Act in post-conflict Liberia - Lara Kalwinski

On 29 December 2005, the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) passed the Act to Amend the New Penal Code Chapter 14 Sections 14.70 and 14.71 and to Provide for Gang Rape (RAA). The law is designed to protect individuals from the type of systematic rape that took place during and after the Liberian civil war. The legislature approved the RAA and the president supported it, but it is difficult to implement in court. The current, post-conflict judicial system cannot handle its caseload, so rape victims have little recourse other than the customary law system. Liberians rely on customary law because it is established and understood. While rebuilding the formal system, the government and non-governmental organisations need to explain the RAA and criminal procedure to the population. This profile discusses the creation and implementation of rape law in post-conflict Liberia and explains some of the difficulties of prosecuting rape cases.
From: Agenda 74 (2007)