Week of December 12, 2009
Wheels of JusticeEQUIP Liberia provides transportation to help bring rape crimes to court.
Description
The West African country of Liberia is still struggling to deal with the violent aftermath of its prolonged civil war. Rape was used as a weapon of war, and now, though the war has ended, Liberian women and girls are still suffering from rape at alarming rates. Most victims, however, are too poor to travel long distances for a medical exam or criminal trial, and police officers have no vehicles to investigate the crimes. And so many of these rapes go unreported and are never taken to court.
For the past year, a non-profit has been providing transport for taking these crimes to court — but funding is running out. Bonnie Allen brings us the story.