Lately, I have seen something that is disturbing. It is the politicizing of rape and abuse.

Three words come to mind when I see or hear the crime of rape being politicized:

How Dare You!

For years, you sit in a position of trust and influence and, and you say or do nothing to address the issue of the rape of women and children as well as other sexual and gender-based violence.
Suddenly, it’s election year, and because you want votes, you feel it is the time you finally have awakened from your stupor – suddenly your eyes are opened, and your voice is returned – to proclaim “stop rape and abuse”.

How dare you!
How dare you!

You sit supinely, quietly, watching the news – reading the news. Each new day a new incident reported, or under-reported, including deaths to victims. The stories are mind-numbing and sickening with reports involving the rape of babies and little girls.
Those who survive the criminal ordeal to the violation of their bodies often do not feel lucky to be alive as they wear the physical scars and mental traumas and “guilt” for the rest of their lives, as if they are actually dead.

You turn your face away, and point your nose in the air because your family is safe. In fact, you think it’s only a “women’s rights issue”, and “these NGO people just want to talk”.

But 2020 is elections year. Now, you realize that we have an issue of rape in Liberia?
How dare you!
How dare you!

You claim to be interested in “the people”; which people?
You want to run for office, so you do photo ops at the detriment of the trauma of scores of women and girls! And you want us to be silent so that you’re heard.
Now, you want to organize rallies and meet-ups?

How dare you!

Now, you want to conveniently care about your sheep? Their pains make your electoral gains? How dare you?

How about all the times you were too busy – your pulpit was too precious to be soiled by victims “who dressed to invite rape”?

Do you expect us to simply forget all the times you refused to call out your friends, colleagues, and pastors. How can we just forget that you have not been there for the babies, the children and the women?

You refused to call out that ‘Father of The Year’ because he gives a lot to church programs, and he is a dear friend and colleague. We must simply forget?

Now, you speak about corruption. You speak about prosperity. You speak about going to heaven and salvation.

But you are silent on rape of babies – of angels! Of women!

HOW DARE YOU!

You see and know a girl is being abused, but you do not want the family name to be “dragged in the mud”, so you pretend not to know. You smile and console. You cajole, “it will be all right, these things happen.:

Would your position be the same if it happens to you, or your child?

You do not realize that rape kills a child before she can even get a chance to live? Where is your conscience?

How dare you?

You boast about it being cheaper to “keep” small girls because older women have too many demands. So you purposely seek out high school vulnerable girls to “raise”. You lure them with $20 and $50, while you exploit their bodies! As you do this, you jealously and zealously guard and protect your own child from any fly coming near her.

How dare you!
HOW DARE YOU!

You seek out little girls and boys and say “green plum sweet with salt” whist your own children are safe and protected abroad. You are brave and shameless to say “all these girls spoiled, they are used goods”.

Are you not the real user? How, how, how DARE YOU!

You use your affluence to protect those who rape and violate. You use your networks and secret societies and clubs to shield rapist. And you deny that rape is an issue even as you read near daily of rape all across the country.

You use the courts to break a family’s spirit. You use a broken, underfunded justice system to let rapists walk away while victims find it harder to even be heard.

How dare you!

We are not stupid. We see you.

Shame on you.

#weareunprotected
#FixTheSystem
#FixOurSociety
#StopProtectingPerpetrators

Brenda Brewer Moore