Being denied by the Police to stage a peaceful process against the Justice Bankole Thompson Commission report, the SLPP women yesterday protested at their Party Office with their chairman John Oponjo Benjamin calling for justice.
Speaking to the women who were dressed in black, the National Women’s leader of SLPP Mrs. Isatu Kabbah recalled that on March16, 2009 seven women were allegedly raped purportedly by some APC youths at the SLPP office in full view of the Police.
She said when they agreed to set up the Commission; they thought they were going to receive justice but that what the report did was a complete injustice to the dignity of women. “We thought a sober minded person would have kicked against rape but we are disappointed and we are here as aggrieved women as the government has legalized rape”
She sent a message to President Koroma that the women of Sierra Leone needed justice and that great attention should be placed on them.
One of the alleged rape victims recounted her ordeal and how the violence was masterminded. “God will one day fight for us and give us justice” she sobbed.
The SLPP Chairman, John Oponjo Benjamin read a position statement of his party on the Commission’s report and the Government White Paper that they were utterly disappointed and aggrieved that very substantial issues as identified by the Commission itself have largely been swept under the carpet.
He stated that in spite of the commission’s findings that the said victims were each subjected to physical mistreatment amounting to outrages upon their personal dignity or other inhumane conduct in violation of their human rights, the commission deliberately shied away from naming and shaming the perpetrators of the act.
Mr. Benjamin also stated that though the Doctor’s medical evidence stated that the findings were inconclusive because of the lack of laboratory facilities to conduct relevant forensic tests, yet, the commission’s position of no rape was determined by a second dimension of the doctors. “The doctors were quite emphatic that their medical findings were definitely not consistent with the complaint of rape or sexual abuse. We are therefore left with this question of what conclusive tests did these doctors conduct to arrive at their verdict of no rape” he asked.
Again, the SLPP chairman also mentioned that even though the victims mentioned the names of the perpetrators and the nature of the offences committed, yet the commission’s report did not only fail to mention them but completely failed to prescribe any punitive measures.
“As a party, we are stunned that this denial of justice to our womenfolk is happening at a time when the United Nations Secretary General has just told world leaders that they can no longer afford to turn a blind eye at such egregious acts”.
By Ishmael Bayoh