Guidance

Information for Survivors of Rape and Sexual Assault in Liberia

Published 22 March 2023

If you’ve been sexually assaulted, it’s important to remember that it was not your fault. Rape and sexual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.

This information is provided to help British nationals overseas make informed decisions about whether and how to:

• seek medical advice and attention
• report to local police
• engage with foreign legal authorities following a rape or other form of sexual assault overseas

For information on support available in the UK, see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK.

First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you in coming to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• contact the international emergency number on +44 20 7136 6857
• contact your tour operator if you are travelling with one
• contact your nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate: +231 (0)777530320/https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-monrovia. Embassy staff will be empathetic, and non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell them will be treated in the strictest confidence. They can contact your family or friends for you if you wish

If you want to report the incident to the police in Liberia

If you have a tour operator, they should be able to arrange for someone to support you. If you are in an area where there is a British embassy or consulate, they will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

You can call the police by calling 911 or +231 (0) 770 800 911, or go to any law enforcement officer on the street or nearest police station. You can ask the police to inform the British Embassy on +231 (0) 777 530 320 and they can offer you consular support.

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained.

Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts. Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

Insist you get a police report.

Extramarital sex and homosexuality are not crimes in Liberia, and the country’s rape law recognises that males can be victims of rape. However, there is a strong cultural bias against homosexuality, so it would be advisable in such cases to be accompanied by a trusted person when reporting such crimes to the police.

The Liberia National Police has a special unit responsible for investigating rape and sexual assault. It is called the Women and Children Protection Section (WACPS – despite the name, it also deals with adult male victims). The WACPS has both female and male officers.

The government has 5 dedicated rape and sexual assault referral centres dubbed “One Stop Centres” at 5 hospitals in and around Monrovia, where victims can receive treatment from specialised health workers.

Hospitals for specialist care are:

• Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town
• James Davis Hospital in Nezo community
• Duport Road Clinic in Duport Road
• Hope for Women Hospital at A.B. Tolbert Road
• The Star of the Sea Hospital in West Point

These are the only approved facilities (all in Montserrado County) that can handle rape and sexual assault cases. All other hospitals will decline such cases and signpost visitors to the nearest One Stop Centre.

Each One Stop Centre is likely to have both male and female police officers from the Women and Children Department. However, if a female officer is not available, then you can request to be transferred to another One Step Centre. Liberia is an English-speaking country so there will be English-speaking officers available, although the local accent may be difficult to understand at times.

If necessary, you will be relocated to a safe house/short-stay room by the police in coordination with the Ministry of Gender and the police will provide emergency transport services to the safe house, the One Stop Centre etc. You may also be provided with food and clothes, free of charge.

Investigations of rape and sexual assault cases are led by the police. Judges are only involved if there is a need to acquire search warrants and when a trial takes place.

The consumption of alcohol, in itself, is not a crime in Liberia. However, the consumption of narcotic drugs is classed as a misdemeanour for the first offence and escalates to a felony of the second degree on a second offence, and the possession of narcotics is a crime.

It is unlikely that a victim of rape or sexual assault who has taken drugs voluntarily would be charged for that – the police will probably focus on the crime of rape or sexual assault. However, if a rape or sexual assault has taken place when the victim was drunk or under the influence of self-administered narcotics, they may unfortunately not be taken seriously by the police/justice system.

After reporting the crime, the police will transfer you to a One Stop Centre (see above) where you will be examined. The results of the medical examination will be shared with the police. Medical exams and report are free of charge at the One Stop Centres. It takes about two days to have a medical report ready. When you return to the police station, you will be asked to provide a written statement.

You may also be asked to testify to the grand jury in the event the prosecutor decides to seek an indictment of the perpetrator. You will be asked to return to testify during the trial. Victims are allowed to testify in a separate room or behind a screen during rape and sexual assault trials.

You will not be required to surrender your passport during the investigation.

The Ministry of Justice prosecution team will represent you during the trial with lawyers which will be provided free of charge. At the investigation stage, you may not come into contact with these prosecutors. You may choose to appoint a private lawyer, but they usually require a fee before representing clients.

If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Liberia

The British embassy or consulate will be able to help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company, your family, making arrangements to travel back to the UK and/or provide you with information on local support in the UK. They can provide you with lists of English-speaking medical facilities, lawyers and translators.

If you are travelling with one, you can also report the incident to your tour operator and ask them for assistance. If you wish, the tour operator may accompany you to the local hospital. If you wish, and depending on location and timing, a member of consular staff may be able to accompany you.

If you do not intend to report the crime, this should not prevent you from seeking medical help. Medical attention is available to all victims free of charge even if they don’t come forward and report the crime, but the hospital or One Stop Centre will pass on details to the police, who would seek your approval for any further action.

You do not have to report the crime in-country for it to be investigated. However, the chances of a successful prosecution are higher if you do so.

It is your choice on whether to report the crime. If you don’t report it, your case may not be investigated.

If you want to report the incident to the police in the UK

The support available to you, and your access to justice, may vary according to where you report the crime.

If you are staying in the country where the crime took place, you should report the crime in that country. If you are a British national and you need help to report the crime, you can contact the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate, or the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London.

If you do not report the crime in the country where it happened and you return to the UK, you can still report the matter to your local UK police. The UK police should send the information you provide to the country where the crime happened. However, it is for foreign police forces to decide whether to investigate a crime in their jurisdiction and they may not take action.

You can report the crime to the UK police even if you are not seeking an investigation abroad. The UK police can offer you access to victim support in the UK. They may still send some details of the crime to police in the country where it happened. This might be necessary in order to protect vulnerable people, or to stop more crimes being committed.

Reporting the crime in Liberia - what happens next?

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts and social media messages.

Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

Insist you get a police report.

You will be required to provide a written statement to the police. The statement will include a description of what happened and the name of the attacker(s) if known to you.

The police will retain all evidence that you present or that they uncover as a result of their investigation at their forensic lab. It should be noted that the forensic capabilities of the Liberian Police are extremely limited.

Survivors are usually advised to go immediately to a One Stop Centre. If you go to the police first, you will be taken for a medical examination before your witness statement is taken. At the centre, medical workers are trained to use a rape kit to gather all necessary forensic evidence that the police will require in their investigation.

However, government facilities around the country are poorly resourced and DNA testing is rarely available. As such, the police rely heavily on medical reports and circumstantial evidence.

The Liberian police are not required to report any crime committed against a foreign national to the police in their home country. However, the Liberia National Police by custom normally informs the British Embassy in Monrovia of cases pertaining to British nationals in-country. They might ask the Embassy to contact the UK police. The local police reserve the right to contact the UK police through Interpol.

The Liberian police will not ask the UK police to undertake police checks on you.

The medical examination – what to expect

All hospitals may treat victims of rape and sexual assault, but there are specific hospitals with One Stop Centres that have been trained to gather the kind of evidence that will be required to investigate and prosecute. There are five of these approved One Stop Centres in and around Monrovia where victims can seek medical attention.

All other medical facilities have been advised to refer rape and sexual assault cases to the five approved One Stop Centres. Other counties in Liberia have their own designated One Stop Centres. For advice on finding the nearest One Stop Centre, calls should be directed to the Liberian SGBV hotlines +231 (0)770800073, +231 (0)770800131 or +231 (0)770800172.

One Stop Centres automatically report the results of any examination to the Women and Children Department of the Police. The department then presents a copy of the report to the victim and files the original along with preliminary findings, which are then submitted to a dedicated prosecutor through the Ministry of Justice.

Specially trained medical staff will carry out the examination. It may include swabs, blood and urine tests, examination of external injuries and testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). No photos will be taken – a diagram is used to record injuries instead.

Each One Stop Centre is likely to have both male and female police officers from the Women and children department. However, if a female officer is not available, then you can request to be transferred to another One Step Centre.

The British Embassy will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

Treatment

Hospital medical staff can give advice on HIV PEP medication (‘Post-exposure prophylaxis’, a treatment that can prevent HIV infection) should you or they feel it is necessary. This medication is available in local pharmacies around Monrovia. Please see our list of medical services providers for a list of pharmacies.

HIV PEP medication needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. The NHS may be able to commence or continue the 28-day treatment on return to the UK.

Emergency contraception is available at One Stop Centres free of charge. The Planned Parenthood Association of Liberia also provides free contraception to women in Liberia. Emergency contraception needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective.

Treatment and tests at the One Stop Centre are free of charge in Liberia. They are paid for by UNICEF. At private hospitals (outside the approved centres) you would have to cover the cost yourself. If you have had medication administered overseas, you should keep the label or make a note of the name of the medication, so that you can let your local health provider know when you return home.

Police investigations in Liberia – what to expect

The focus in Liberia is not to re-traumatise you. The police are not likely to take you back to scene of the crime. They will get the description of the location and, where necessary, conduct a raid.

Where a suspect is arrested the police will take photographs and present them to you to identify the attacker. Suspect identification parades rarely occur. They are only used where the suspect cannot be identified from the photos provided.

If probable cause can be established quickly a writ of arrest will be issued by a magistrate against the suspect. The suspect will be arrested by the police and presented to the magistrate within 48 hours. A suspect cannot be given bail if accused of rape in Liberia. The magistrate is required to send the suspect to prison pending a grand jury indictment and trial. The trial process is usually extremely slow in Liberia.

The prosecutor may want to interview a victim further, but it is not required. Your initial statements to the police should be sufficient. The prosecutor might want to prepare your testimony after an indictment has been obtained from the grand jury. Statements can be made via audio link or by a legal representative. Lawyers are provided free of charge as victims are treated as state witnesses so there should be no need for pro bono service unless you are seeking the service of a private prosecutor.

You are free to leave Liberia at any time. You will not be under investigation unless the police have reason to believe that the reported offence is false.

Court procedures – what to expect

Your testimony may be required in-person, but you will be protected in court by a screen to prevent visibility. Currently, Liberian courts lack the technology to enable remote appearances. You may have to return to Liberia for the trial.

Even without a lawyer, the prosecutors are required to keep you informed of the process at all stages. Because of delays that may result from the workload of prosecutors, you may wish to hire your own lawyer at your own cost.

If the case is referred to further investigation the police may interview you on multiple occasions. At times the proof of an accusation of rape may not be readily evident. Once you have left Liberia, if the police need to follow up on anything, they are likely to do it by phone.

It is not possible for you to drop charges once they are filed, as all crimes are crimes are against the state in Liberia. It is only the state that can drop charges. If your testimony or cooperation is not necessary to prove the accused’s guilt, the state will likely still proceed with the case.

Legal repercussions are possible, but only if you are subpoenaed to testify and ignore the subpoena (ignoring a subpoena constitutes contempt of court in Liberia). Because of their desire not to re-traumatise victims, it is not likely that prosecutors in Liberia will try to compel your testimony.

In addition to any prison sentence that may be imposed on an offender, the court may also order them to pay a fine or compensate the victim.

An accused person has a right under civil law to file charges against the victim. The person may also press the government to open an investigation into the victim if it can be shown that the accusation was false and maliciously filed.

How can my case be taken to trial?

You do not have to file anything in order for your case to go to trial as long as the rape or sexual assault has been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Justice. Because of delays that may result from the workload of prosecutors, you may hire your own lawyer.

You are not required to make any filings apart from reporting the rape or sexual assault. The government prosecutor in Liberia will then refer the case to trial if it is felt that sufficient evidence is available. In the event you decide to hire private legal counsel in Liberia, to independently prosecute your case, you would have to instruct the lawyer to obtain a letter from the Ministry of Justice authorising the lawyer to prosecute the crime as a government prosecutor.

Trial procedures

As soon as indictment is secured, the prosecutor will inform you that there is going to be a trial, and when a date is set. Trials in Liberia are conducted in English.

You do not have to be present at every stage of the trial. However, if your testimony is required, you will have to return to Liberia until the state and defence lawyers have finished their direct and cross examinations of you. If you want to witness every stage of the trial, you are free to do so.

If you do have to return to Liberia, in order to attend the trial, the state may provide travel assistance and other support (as a witness of the state). However, this is unlikely since the justice system in Liberia is reliant on funding from partners to support its operation. This will depend on whether there is the political will, international pressure etc.

The Liberian government has dedicated a special court with exclusive original jurisdiction for sexual and gender-based violence cases to facilitate quicker delivery of justice. Unfortunately, cases can still take about 2 years to come to trial.

The length of trial varies from case to case depending on the nature of the case, but generally takes around six months. Final sentencing is carried out a week after the verdict is passed. Defendants then have the right to appeal within 72 hours to the Supreme Court of Liberia, but can only appeal once.

The law demands that, where cases don’t go to trial after two terms of court (6 months), the charges are dropped. However, this rarely happens in practice since the Court recognises that such delays are due to the backlog of cases, and not due to any weakness in the case in question.

Hiring a lawyer

A privately hired lawyer can help ensure that the government prosecutor prioritises the case in question and may provide higher-quality representation than a lawyer appointed by the court. However, such representation can be costly.

There are several law firms around Monrovia and which provide general legal services. They may include counsellors at law with a specialty in rape and sexual assault cases, or be able to contact one should the need arise. A list of lawyers can be provided by staff at the British Embassy.

The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia is an umbrella group of lawyers that are involved in advocacy on women’s rights. Further information is available on our website.

Communication

If you do not want to hire a private lawyer, the government is required to keep you informed at all stages of the investigation. The prosecutor is required to communicate with you regularly to inform you of the progress of the case. Prior to that an officer from the Women and Children Department of the Police will be responsible for communications with you and this relationship is established early on after reporting an incident.

If not resident in-country, you do not have to provide a local address in order to be contacted. Your home country address should be sufficient for the police to keep in touch. If you have a private lawyer, you should receive updates through this person.

Legal aid

You will be represented by the state, so the government is not likely to provide financial support in hiring a private lawyer. There are legal aid services provided by organisations like the Liberian National Bar Association and even some private lawyers. The legal aid provided by the Bar usually covers representation only for the most destitute people who are unable to pay for legal services.

Legal aid may be provided by some of the law firms listed on our website. You should contact them for details on the legal aid available. Most private lawyers will request payment before the case goes to court.

Sentencing

The gravity of the case will determine the weight of the sentence. For offences such as rape, a custodial sentence is mandatory. Sentencing in Liberia usually focuses on punishment rather than rehabilitation. In any case of rape or sexual assault, the perpetrator will be guilty of committing a ‘crime against the person’.

The judge may pass a sentence of up to life in prison for rape or sexual assault, depending on the circumstances of the case. Rape is a first-degree felony where it involves victims who are minors (below 18 years); gang rape; where it results in permanent disability or serious bodily injury to the victim; or the use of firearms or other deadly weapons.

Rape is a second-degree felony if the victim is not a minor and isn’t threatened with firearms or deadly weapons. In such cases the maximum sentence is 10 years’ imprisonment. The sentence can be reduced if the assailant pleads guilty early on and thus saves time and resources.

If the alleged perpetrator is found not guilty the person is immediately discharged from further defending themselves against the charge. They will be released from pre-trial detention, and they reserve the right to file a lawsuit against the complainant for wrongful accusation.

Compensation

In addition to any prison sentence that may be imposed on the accused person, the court may also order them to pay a fine or compensate the victim.

There is no state-funded compensation scheme to cover physical or psychological injuries as a result of sexual or violent crime. However, the Liberia National Police has a victim support unit that provides resettlement support for victims of all nationalities with funding from partners such as UNICEF and UNDP. Medical services provided at the One Stop Centres are free of charge.

When you return home to the UK

You may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice where you live:

England	NHS Choices website, or search the internet for ‘NHS SARC’
Scotland	Archway SARC: phone 0141 211 8175
Wales	New Pathways SARC: phone 01685 379 310; Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Northern Ireland	Rowan SARC Northern Ireland: phone 0800 389 4424

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you. You should do this even if you have been tested in the country that the assault took place in.

Support organisations in Liberia

It is your choice to let people know. If you are ready to talk about it, these organisations may be able to help you:

1. Her Voice Liberia

Address	Congo Town, (Back Rd. after the 1st Baptist Church) Monrovia, Liberia
Telephone number	+231 (0)770115545 & Hotline 1226
Hours of contact	24 hrs
Language of service	English

Description of services offered

• access to justice/ legal/ psychosocial services
• mobile clinic for victims
• safe inns/shelters (24 persons at a time)
• medical treatment
• transportation

2. THINK – Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness

Address	Robert’s Field Highway, ELWA Community-Jangabah Road, Monrovia, Liberia (Shelter is located on GSA Road, Paynesville)
Telephone number	+231 (0)886574394
Hours of contact	24 hrs
Language of service	English

Description of services offered:

• shelter
• support through court proceedings

3. Coalition of Women against Gender Based Violence

Address	Gardnessville, Chocolate City, Monrovia, Liberia
Telephone number	+231 (0)777047653
Hours of contact	24 hrs
Language of service	English

Description of services offered:

• guardianship for minors
• accompanying victim to one stop centre
• material support (clothes/ food survival dignity kits)
• psychosocial counselling
• referring victims to safe homes
• providing temporary accommodation (for up to 2 days)
• providing transportation

Disclaimer

This information has been prepared by HMG officials who are not legally or medically trained. It should therefore never be used as a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. It is intended to help British nationals overseas make their own informed decisions. Neither HMG nor any official of the Consulate accept liability for any loss or damage which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied.

Medical information has been provided by The Havens Sexual Assault Referral Centres of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and was accurate at the time of production (02/02/2022).