And there are idiosyncracies—like the copyrighting and commercial sale of copies of Liberia’s laws—that compound the problem. Passing the rape law was a very progressive move for which the Liberian government should be congratulated, but it will not translate into greater protection for survivors of rape if the law is not widely disseminated and if the people who have to implement the law are not trained to understand it.
The good news is that the American Bar Association has come up with a proposal to post all Liberian laws on the internet—and at least the international agencies in the country have generators and access to the web. Of course, this proposal will have to be approved by the Liberian government—specifically, the new Minster of Justice …
By Melanie Teff from her blog on Refugees International.org.
Related Story: A Closer Look at Violence Against Women, (Part 2)
