Did Liberia Record 2,759 SGBV Cases from January to October 2024

Summary:

• Former Monrovia City Major Jefferson Koijee claimed in a Facebook post that 2,759 SGBV cases were reported in Liberia from January to October 2024, with 1,902 of those cases occurring in Montserrado County alone.

• We fact-checked this claim by reviewing publicly available records and found it to be correct.

On May 11, former Monrovia County City Mayor, Jefferson Koijee, claimed in a Facebook post that from January to October 2024, Liberia recorded 2,759 Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases, and 68.7 percent, which is 1,902 cases, accounts for Montserrado County.

Mayor Koijee was claiming that women and children are being raped without resource services and fair judicial system in the country. The CDC stalwart cited the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection as his source.

The Claim

Excerpt from Koijee’s claim: “For SGBV cases, From January to October in 2024, there were 2,759 rape cases according to the Liberia Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection… 68.7 percent that’s 1,902 accounts for Montserrado county.”

Koijee made the claim in a Facebook post on May 11.

Rating Justification

To fact-check this claim relating to the number of cases reported during the period cited by the former mayor, we visited the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection official website and Facebook page, but did not see any publicly available data on 2024 SGBV cases in Liberia covering the period from January to October 2024.

However, further online search found a live video published by Pro Media TV Liberia, an online blog. The live video was recorded during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence by the Gender Ministry at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo town on November 25, 2024.

In the live video, Gender Minister Gbeme Horace Kollie while giving update on SGBV cases in the country stated that “from January to October 2024, a total of 2,759 rape cases were reported, with Montserrado County once again recording the highest number at 1,902 cases, accounting for 68.7 percent of the total cases reported.  

Several credible news outlets, including “The Analyst” and “The Inquirer,” also reported similar figures in their publications that can be found here and here.

Screenshot of “The Inquirer” publication after the launch of 16 Days of Activism on November 25, 2024

Conclusion

Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim made by former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, that from January to October in 2024, Liberia recorded 2,759 sexual and gender-based violence cases, with 68.7 percent, or 1,902 cases, accounting for Montserrado County, is correct.

Gender Minister Gbeme Horace Kollie, while giving an update on SGBV cases in the country during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism, mentioned the same figures of 2,759 SGBV cases, with 68.7 percent or 1,902 accounting for Montserrado.  

However, his claim that women and children are being raped without resource services and fair judicial system in the country is not backed by evidence.

Editor’s Note:

This fact check was produced by Local Voices Liberia with support from the European Union through the Liberia Media Empowerment Program (LMEP). The funder had no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this fact-check report.  Read the original fact-check report here.