Scanning the 'World Around' - Liberia

Liberia as a signatory of most of the international Human Rights treaties recognizes gender violence as an obstruction and a socio-economic barrier to women and girls’ progress. Article 11(b) of Chapter 3 in the Constitution of Liberia provides for entitlement of the fundamental rights and freedoms for all regardless of race, sex, place of origin etc.

In 2005, the Liberian legislature passed a ‘rape law’ that expanded the definition of rape and set harsh penalties for sexual assault. This was publicized through the mainstream media by the Ministry of Justice and NGOs used social and traditional media to disseminate this information to communities. However, cases of violence has still increased, perpetuated by gender norms, poor judicial systems and lack of political will as highlighted in this analysis. 

The National Gender Policy of Liberia, an instrument that was developed by government Ministries and Agencies, public and private institutions, women‘s NGOs, religious leaders, cultural leaders, Persons with Disabilities, Persons living with HIV and Aids, the national legislature, media practitioners, other civil society organizations, youth and community based organizations at nationwide, was purposely to break barriers and promote sustainable development for both men and women. Despite the commitment, women and girls still experience violence, including sexual violence based on their gender.

According to the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey conducted by Liberia Institute of Statistics and Ge-Information Services in 2020, and shared to the general public through radio, newspapers, booklets, 60% of women aged 15-19 Years have experienced physical violence and 9% specifically experienced sexual violence in Liberia. Globally, UNFPA reports that 1 in 4 women in the world have experienced sexual violence from current partner while 1 in every 15 women experience rape by a non partner.

During the Covid19 pandemic, a total of 992 rape cases were reported. It is likely that more cases were not reported while others were settled at the family level. The president made his commitment to establish a national security task force on sexual and gender based violence. Reporting systems needs improvement

Most violence cases are not concluded, survivors get threatened while others are paid off not to report to authorities. For example a UN report in 2016 recorded 803 rape cases the previous year (2015) in Liberia and only 2% of these cases led to conviction. With improved reporting systems, more women and girls will sought help. A UNFPA report document to the world indicates that, 42% of violence survivors have sought help while 48% of them have never sought any help. Others seek help from family members and in most cases don’t get justice.