Background:
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a persistent public health and human rights crisis in Liberia. During the civil wars, over 60% of women were subjected to sexual violence, and even today, rape is the second most commonly reported serious crime. Between January and June 2021 alone, 863 cases were recorded by Liberia’s One-Stop Centres. Despite national policies and joint UN-government programmes to tackle SGBV, many cases go unreported, or data are poorly collected, limiting justice and service delivery. Weak data systems and informal case handling (e.g., family-arranged settlements) contribute to continued impunity.

About the project:
This project aimed to strengthen Liberia’s existing SGBV reporting systems through improved data quality and integration into the national health platform (DHIS2). Implemented across five One-Stop Centres in Montserrado, the initiative trained facility staff in routine data collection, supported data flow into the DHIS2 system, and worked closely with the Ministry of Health’s Health Information System Unit. The project also developed standard tools and protocols for SGBV data collection and reporting in facilities without OSCs.

Results:
All five targeted facilities now consistently report SGBV data into the DHIS2 platform, increasing visibility of cases at the national level. Data quality and completeness improved, and health workers became more confident in documentation practices. The project laid the groundwork for scale-up to additional counties and contributed to SDG 5 by improving the accountability chain for SGBV survivors and service providers alike.