Monrovia — Reports from Gbarnga, Bong County say the judge in the Gbarnga Circuit Court On Monday handed down his verdict in a case involving the rape of a minor: "guilty."

According to the reports, almost a full year after the crime was committed, the brave young woman finally found justice and that the successful prosecution was made possible by the courage of the survivor and the diligence of her prosecution team, including the legal aid staff from the American Refugee Committee (ARC) Liberia and their partner the Foundation for International Dignity (FIND) with support from the US government.

The report said the perpetrator used a female accomplice to trick the survivor into entering his house when she was selling fish in June 2007. While she was standing at the door, the accomplice pushed her into the room and slammed the door shut so the perpetrator could have his way with her.

The rape survivor immediately reported the crime to her fiancé and then to an ARC Liberia "peer," a community member trained by ARC Liberia to raise awareness and respond to cases of gender-based violence (GBV). The peer took the young woman to a local clinic for medical care, to the local Justice of the Peace to begin the legal process, and to ARC Liberia for counseling and protection.

After the case was not heard for two terms of court, the county attorney had to threaten to file a formal complaint with the Ministry of Justice just to keep the perpetrator in jail. But there was still a problem of transportation for the survivor. "At a time, we were so discouraged because we could not get the girl to court," says County Attorney Serena Garlawolu. "But with the help of ARC and FIND we got her to court in the last term." During the trial, ARC housed the survivor in a safe house for vulnerable women.

Procuring evidence was also a significant challenge. ARC/FIND staff worked tirelessly to convince the staff at Phebe Hospital that it was necessary to produce the medical certificate documenting the survivor's physical state after the rape. The state attorney had to subpoena several witnesses who were reluctant to appear in court. According to FIND staff Amos Gbenyan, the judge even had to extend the court session for some additional days to finish hearing the case.

According to ARC social worker/counselor Agnes M. Bedell, the survivor faced significant pressure from her community to drop the case, but persevered due to a desire to "set an example for girls to be strong and report rape and other abuse." Her fiancé was also very supportive throughout the year-long court case, driving long hours from the bush to visit her in Gbarnga and encouraging her to continue to fight for justice.

County Attorney Garlawolu says that "violence has become a habit for some men because they can get away with it. I am very interested in domestic violence and rape cases and do extra research to win them, especially since the passage of the new rape law." Thanks to her hard work in partnership with ARC and FIND and the US government, and the courage of a young survivor, at least one rapist will face just punishment for his crime.