Monrovia — UN Deputy Envoy for Rule of Law, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, has revealed that, "more and more women and children are coming out to report crimes", a release from the UN Mission said over the weekend.

Ms. Mensa-Bonsu spoke during a ceremony where she handed over to the Liberia National Police in the eastern county of Grand Gedeh, a newly constructed police Headquarters which has a Women and Children's Protection Section, (WACPS).

"This [increased reporting] reflects the increased confidence and trust for reporting such crimes rather than being indicative of an increase in the actual crimes," Ms. Mensa-Bonsu noted. "Women are coming forward, and they are speaking out - this is especially significant when one examines the number of cases in which family and close friends are actually involved in the crimes."

According to the release, Grand Gedeh becomes the first county to get one of the ten new LNP county headquarters being constructed or renovated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) all across Liberia, with funding from the Norwegian government. To assist the police pay particular attention to the issues affecting women and children, all new LNP buildings will have Women and Children Protection Section (WACPS).

"This is a dream come true," said Kjetil Schie, representing the Norwegian government, "because women and children are the most vulnerable members of the society and suffer most during civil unrest."

As on one of the major donors helping to rebuild Liberia's police, Norway's vision of a police force that is alive to the needs of women and children has, "been instrumental in building confidence and trust between victims, police and communities," DSRSG Mensa-Bonsu said, adding that in training and working with LNP, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has made this a common purpose. "It has proved instrumental in encouraging the expansion of the WACPS training programs in cooperation with UNICEF as LNP officers proficient in WACPS are now active in 21 locations throughout Liberia," she added.

The new County LNP headquarters in Grand Gedeh cost almost US$76,000 and is funded through a total contribution of US$1.6 million from the Norwegian government towards the rebuilding of the Liberia National Police.