The NEWS (Monrovia)
Jimmey C. Fahngon
28 November 2008
Monrovia — Police Director Beatrice Munah Sieh-Browne says crimes specifically targeting women and girls have risen to alarming heights, as though the advocacy for gender equality has struck a negative string in some quarters of the society.
She said despite initiatives by several governments in West Africa to deal with crimes and non-violence against women, rape remains a non-disappearing dot on the police crimes eradication map.
Police Director Sieh-Browne made the assertion Thursday at the opening of a two-day West African Police Women Association workshop being held at the Monrovia City Hall in Sinkor, Monrovia.
She told the gathering that perpetrators of crimes against women continue to challenge the moral faculty of society.
Madam Sieh-Browne: "Babies between and from two and half years old are raped by men who have no conscious with such ages ranging 30 to 40 years and above."
The Liberian Police Director stressed the need for an improved network among West African Countries as a class of sub-regional actors.
She called on her West African counterparts to organize and strengthen their relationship with the communities along their respective borders.
"We must work towards harmonizing our legal, judiciary and executive systems by generating those conventions and protocols that would serve the security of the sub-region right and well," the Police Director added.
She emphasized the need for networking among West African countries law enforcement agencies to address crimes, saying "we must not forget that we are servants of the society, therefore, all means should be implored to coordinate our public awareness and relations system."
According to her, the best strategy for pro-active policing is to be ahead of the criminal, and added that the effective way to begin is to let the public take the lead through awareness of facts and participate in these initiatives.
The two-day workshop is being held under the Topic: "West Africa Police Women as Partners in Fighting Crimes."
Over 100 participants from Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Gambia and Senegal, among other West African countries, are attending the workshop.
The participants, at the end of the workshop, are expected to finalize a framework for the establishment of the West African Police Women Association.
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