The Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) has condemned acts of sexual violence and rape, suggesting that perpetrators of such demeaning acts must be subjects to tougher punishment including “hard labor.”
The MICAT boss told students of the Greater Tomorrow Child Development International School System (GTCDISS) that if someone’s child is raped to death there should be a death penalty set for the rapist.
“Rapists should be subjected to hard labor so that they can know society does not condone that, and if someone’s child is being raped to death, for me there should be a death penalty set for the rapist,” said Min. Rennie.
Speaking recently at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) during an interactive meeting with the students of GTCDISS on Governance, Minister Rennie told the students that rape is sad, despicable and nobody should be raped by a woman or man.
He added that if he had his own way, people who rape will go to jail for the rest of their life.
While given the overview, the MICAT Boss told the students that they are concern about rape cases in Liberia because it is an abuse of someone’s private sexual space, indicating that when you invade the sexual space of someone then you have abused or harassed them.
He told the students that child abuse is the denier of basic things a child needs in order to grow decently in a given society, adding that if that child is not given the basic necessity like food, Water, education, decent health care, the right to movement, association among others, “then you as a parent is in violation of that child’s enabling rights because every human is entitled to those rights.”
The Government of Liberia’s Spokesman also told the students that society and parents are responsible to ensure that they provide the things that a child’s need to develop in order to become productive and decent citizens of the society.
“It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that as a child, you are given everything that contains your full development and it is also the government’s function to make sure every environment is free for you to be able to achieve your dreams, mission and your goals of life “Min. Rennie told the students.
He added that the media is also an integral part of any given society, citing that without the media, society might be blind and not be enlightened.
“The media is that arm of any given society that provides information. The media is like a watchdog over society, looking at private and public level to see what is being done in line with the standards that have been set in society,” Minister Rennie said.
The MICAT boss emphasized that public officials are accountable to the president but also to the people of Liberia, adding that they are accountable to them for what they do.
He cited: “That is why he opens up to them to interact, they serve at the will and pleasure of the president and the people at large.
Commenting on the functions of MICAT, Minister Rennie told the students that the Ministry was enacted by law to disseminate quality information about the government programs and policies as well as developmental issues and all of the various things that the government does that the public needs to know about.
“Like road projects, building schools, and sharing anything that the government is doing that is relevant for public consumption. So that the people of Liberia can understand what is it their government is doing and what impact that project will have on the people of Liberia,” Rennie noted.
Meanwhile, the MICAT boss encouraged Government officials to open their doors and interact with students that want to learn about the functions of Governance.