ActionAid Equips Health Workers, Police to Tackle Rape and SGBV Cases as Nationwide Training Nears Saturday Climax

As cases of sexual and gender-based violence continue to demand stronger institutional response in Liberia, ActionAid Liberia has launched a five-day intensive training for health workers, police officers, and frontline responders aimed at improving the clinical management of rape and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases, with the nationwide exercise expected to climax this Saturday in Montserrado County, Margibi County, and Bong County.

The training, being conducted under the “Just and Equal Communities” initiative with support from the Government of Sweden, is focused on strengthening the knowledge and practical skills of frontline service providers in handling survivors of rape, abuse, and other forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, while also deepening their understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights for women, young people, and marginalized communities.

Speaking at the opening of the training, ActionAid Liberia Women’s Rights Coordinator, Madam Markonee Knightley, said the initiative is designed to ensure that health workers are fully equipped to professionally manage Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases, particularly rape cases, whenever survivors seek medical attention.

“This training is intended to build the capacity of health workers in the clinical management of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases, including rape cases, and how they can properly manage cases coming to them.”

Madam Knightley further disclosed that the training goes beyond clinical management, stressing that participants are also being equipped with critical knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly in addressing the needs of young women and vulnerable groups.

“We are also building the capacities of health workers on sexual and reproductive health and rights so they can effectively handle issues affecting young women, especially those from marginalized communities.”

Representing the health sector, Madam Janet Oluking, Supervisor of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center One Stop Center, said the training has exposed her to new professional approaches in handling survivors of abuse and violence.

“I have learned a lot about Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and sexual and reproductive health, but one thing that stood out for me is confidentiality understanding that not everything about survivors should be exposed to the public.”

She added that the training has strengthened her ability to treat survivors with dignity, compassion, and professionalism, noting that survivors are more likely to share their experiences when they feel respected and protected.

Also speaking, Madam Marlon Johnson, a women and children investigator at the Duport Road One Stop Center, said the training is broadening her experience in survivor-centered investigation and counseling, helping her better understand how to gain the trust of survivors while pursuing justice.

“This training is expanding my experience on how to treat survivors when they come around and how to help them feel comfortable enough to explain what really happened.”

She used the occasion to call on parents and community members to educate children about perpetrators of sexual violence, warning that many offenders often live within the same communities as their victims.

The five-day engagement is considered critical in strengthening Liberia’s health and protection systems, improving coordination between healthcare workers and law enforcement officers, and ensuring that survivors of rape and other forms of violence receive confidential, professional, and life-saving support when they seek help.