Speaking to the Daily Observer over the weekend, the head of the unit, Cllr. Felecia Coleman, said the unit was currently in the process of drafting proposal to be delivered to partners following which construction work will begin.

The hub is to be constructed in Bong County with other branches in Lofa and Nimba and would provide a one shopping place for SGBV victims in Liberia.

Though she did not state the actual cost of the project, but said it would contain a hospital, counseling center, a court room and residential quarter for victims.

However, sources at the SGBV crime Unit have put the project cost at over US$1Million.

Addressing the launch of an SGBV school club program at Open Bible Standard School, Cllr. Coleman said there was still an increase of Sexual Gender Based Violence in the country but that victims were not reporting incidences.

“When we speak of increase we are talking about the failure on the part of victims to report cases to the relevant authorities,” she said.

According to her, despite strides made by her unit in dealing with SGBV, it was vital that victims report cases to the MOJ crime unit.

She intoned that as part of plans to fight SGBV in Liberia, the SGBV crime unit have embarked upon introducing SGBV school club program which she noted was key.

The school clubs programs is aimed at creating awareness of SGBV cases as well as developing knowledge in SGBV signs and preventive methods.

She then called on participating schools, especially the Open Bible standard school to be steadfast in its approach to ensuring that SGBV is minimize in Liberia.

The role of the SGBV school clubs among other things is to also help promote SGBV programs in all schools with students serving as ambassadors in their respective institutions thus helping to report SGBV cases when they arise.

The program further seeks to ensure students full participation, sustainability and awareness as well as to create networks for information sharing and to develop knowledge and skills in preventing themselves from SGBV while in school.

Participating institutions include Liberian Dujar High School, Open Bible School, Addo Mills School and Nathan E. Gibson, among others.

The Sexual Gender Based Violence Crime Unit of the Ministry of Justice was established in February 2009 with the intent of buttressing government’s efforts to curb sexual violence by investigating and prosecuting sexual gender based violence cases across the country.