Police in Monrovia are investigating a pastor-in-training at the Garden of Prayer Church of God for allegedly raping a 12-year-old female student. Medical reports show that the survivor had been sodomized repeatedly.
The incident allegedly occurred within the church compound in Jamaica Road Community on Bushrod Island, outskirts of Monrovia, where it operates a school. The institution has a private room for junior pastors, dubbed Levites, to rest. It is in there the alleged act was committed.
In Biblical times, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi who assisted priests during worship in the Jewish temple.
The accused, Pastor Henry Kpalleh, believed to be in his 30s, was arrested by the Liberia National Police on Thursday, December 12, 2024, following a complaint from the victim's parents.
According to the parents of the victim, the health condition of their daughter has been deteriorating rapidly, which prompted them to investigate her.
Pastor Kpalleh, who is also Dean of Students Affairs of the Frazer Memorial Institute and a second-grade teacher, allegedly had multiple sexual affairs with the victim, both in her anus and private part, resulting in serious damage to her rectum and vagina, but he claims innocence and is currently in police custody.
Medical reports indicate that the victim experienced severe lacerations in her vagina and anus, which may cause damage. Doctors have advised that she seek advanced medical care.
The victim informed her parents that Pastor Kpalleh began having sexual intercourse with her last September and threatened that if she told anyone of their affairs, she would die. "That's why I was afraid to tell you," parents quoted her as narrating after they quizzed her multiple times.
"Every day at recess, he tells me to go to his room. Then he will come and do the thing to me," the minor continues, adding, "Sometimes in my butt. He says when I tell anyone, I will die."
For his part, Pastor Kpalleh, who is described as one of the Levites in the church, denied all allegations against him, describing the victim as one of the stubborn students in the school.
Meanwhile, the family of the victim says that they are constantly being harassed by other family members, friends, and church members to pardon the pastor.
The victim's family stressed that the presence of Pastor Kpellah's family is embarrassing an already depressed child, who is traumatized by seeing them.
According to them, the family is using profanity against the victim, claiming that their son is innocent, that more cases of such had occurred, and that their daughter is not the first person to be raped.
They further alleged that the family even tried attacking the survivor saying, "The girl doesn't look like someone that was raped; maybe she had her boyfriend."
"Is this the girl they claimed was raped, and she's walking properly, we will not come back here again. We will visit the herbalist," they threatened, describing the medical report which confirmed that the girl was tempered with "false and misleading."
Meanwhile, parents of the survivor have expressed deep frustration with the school's administration for allegedly siding with the accused and refusing to assist in the ongoing investigation.
They accused the administration of remaining silent despite being aware of the accusations.
They claim the school has shown no support for their daughter, who is grappling with the trauma of repeated sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by Kpalleh on the church's premises.
"We are deeply disappointed in the school. They are supposed to protect children, but instead, they have chosen to stay quiet as if nothing happened," said the survivor's mother.
"The administration is taking sides with the accused. They've not supported the investigation or stood by our daughter. This is a betrayal of trust", laments the victim's father.
The alleged assaults reportedly took place during school hours in Kpalleh's private room on the campus, where he worked as a primary school teacher and administrator.
Despite these allegations, the school has not issued a public statement or engaged with investigators, according to the parents.
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The parents believe the school's silence is an attempt to shield itself from public backlash and protect its reputation.
The school's lack of involvement has drawn criticism from child rights advocates and community leaders, thereby portraying the school's silence as deeply troubling.
"It is unacceptable for any school to remain silent in such a serious case. Institutions have a duty to protect children and cooperate fully with investigations into allegations of abuse."
The parents are calling for swift action to ensure justice is served and for educational institutions to prioritize the safety and welfare of their students.
"Our daughter has already been through so much. We demand justice and accountability, not just for her, but to send a message that this behavior cannot be tolerated," the child's mother notes.
Meanwhile, family members of the accused are reportedly trying to visit the survivor and her family at their residence in an attempt to offer an appeal for the matter to be compromised. Editing by Jonathan Browne
