The One UN Gender Theme Group (GTG) and the University of Liberia (UL) commemorated the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at UL's Fendall Campus. The event brought together students, representatives of government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and the United Nations in Liberia, highlighting the urgent need to end violence against women and girls in both physical and digital spaces.
Speaking at the event, Comfort Lamptey, UN Resident Coordinator a.i. and UN Women Resident Representative, underscored that both global and national themes of the campaign "Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls" and "Unite to End Violence, Protecting All Women and Children in Our Communities and Digital Spaces" are a call for collective action against the alarming rise in digital abuse.
Ms. Lamptey highlighted Liberia's troubling gender-based violence trends, noting that in 2024 alone, the country recorded 3,957 GBV cases, including 2,759 rapes, with women and girls accounting for most survivors.
By the third quarter of 2025, Liberia had already documented 1,735 rape cases, 824 physical assaults, and 339 domestic violence cases, figures that exclude the many incidents believed to go unreported.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
"With 1.8 million Liberians now online, up from 19% of the population in 2019, the digital world has become another space where violence is taking place," she emphasized. "Online harassment, cyberbullying, image-based abuse, and harmful content amplified by artificial intelligence threaten the safety and dignity of women and girls."
She acknowledged Liberia's leadership in advancing gender equality and digital safety, including the Civil Rights Act, recent commitments announced at the UN General Assembly, and progress around regional and global frameworks on digital governance.
She called on government, communities, the tech sector, and young people, especially men and boys, to serve as allies in creating safe online and offline environments for all women and girls.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection, Director Bennietta Jarbo Jartoe said gender-based violence remains at the center of the Ministry's work.
She highlighted the increasing rate of online abuse, sharing a recent case of a woman who was harassed by a self-proclaimed blogger. This incident left the survivor traumatized and unable to return to her workplace. She stressed that both physical and digital violence must be confronted with equal urgency.
Weade Kobbah Boley, UL Vice President for Institutional Development, welcomed the initiative and emphasized the University's commitment to advancing digital innovation while safeguarding users.
She announced major academic milestones, including UL's upcoming Master's Degree in Artificial Intelligence, developed in partnership with UNDP and global educational institutions, as well as planned graduate programs in Cyber Security, Digitization, and Gender Studies.
She highlighted UL's growing digital ecosystem, including the University Innovation Hub and programs training young Liberians in robotics, coding, digital fabrication, drone technology, and other emerging fields.