Sarah Martin and Michelle Brown completed
an assessment mission to Liberia in November 2003.
Gender-based Violence (GBV) in all of
its forms is endemic in Liberia. During the 14-year civil war, it is estimated
that as many as 40% of women were raped. Rape and other human rights abuses
are still widespread throughout the country.
On a recent assessment mission to Liberia, RI heard numerous accounts of rape and violence that women had suffered at the hands of rebels and government militia forces. Few of these were personal accounts, however, as these women were reluctant to talk about their own experiences. The former girl combatants that we interviewed would admit to being "forced to have sex," but would deny that they were raped. This was in stark contrast to Sierra Leonean women refugees in Liberia, who spoke freely about the rapes that they had endured. One of the differences is that the refugee women had participated in rape counseling programs that were less available to other displaced persons and to Liberian women.
RI is particularly concerned about the impact of widespread rape on the future of Liberia. The needs of rape survivors should be prioritized and not considered to be "second-tier" needs after food, water, and shelter. In addition to the psychosocial ramifications of rape that are yet to be determined, rape also leads to increased rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV transmission. An NGO worker in Monrovia remarked that in some health clinics, all of their female patients tested positive for at least one STI. Most of these women were raped by either militia or rebel forces. High STI rates can indicate high HIV rates. STIs must be screened and treated as they greatly increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Many organizations are starting to develop programs to address the consequences of rape as a weapon of war in Liberia. These programs are normally geared towards women. But women are not the only victims of rape and its aftermath. Young boys in Liberia were routinely forced to rape women as part of the initiation process for the fighting forces. The trauma associated with both being forced to rape and being a survivor of rape will impact the culture of Liberia in ways that are not yet known. Anyone who has been impacted by rape in Liberia should be able to access services. Community awareness programs must be developed to help integrate the survivors and forced perpetrators of rape back into their communities. Programs should also be incorporated in the demobilization process, which will involve up to 38,000 combatants, of whom between one and two thousand are thought to be women.
The rapid influx of peacekeepers and the international community into Liberia brings its own problems. According to a November 2001 UN Population Fund report on The Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls, "The demand for commercial sex increases sharply in settings with peacekeeping organizations." In addition to consensual and commercial sex, in the past, peacekeeping troops from ECOMOG were perpetrators of rape, sexual exploitation, and other crimes. UNMIL is to be congratulated for committing to incorporate a gender perspective in their work in Liberia. Special Representative of the Secretary General Jacques Klein told RI that any UNMIL employee engaged in a sexual relationship with a person under 18 will be expelled. RI applauds him for his commitment to reducing sexual exploitation of minors and urges that UNMIL's Code of Conduct be enforced to the fullest extent possible.
The women of Liberia need to be given all the necessary tools and skills to protect themselves from exploitation and disease. In addition to vocational training services, income generating activities, and formal and non-formal education programs, it is essential that HIV/AIDS prevention education, sex education, empowerment training, and STI treatment be available for women and girls. Condoms must be readily available to women and girls -- as well as to peacekeeping troops and police forces.
UNMIL has recently appointed a special advisor on gender issues who will report directly to the SRSG and will oversee the integration of gender into all UNMIL programs. RI urges UNMIL to make certain that this advisor is not a figurehead but rather is an integral player in decision-making. The gender unit must have adequate funding to mainstream gender into UNMIL's peace and security programs to ensure a sustainable impact. In addition, UNMIL must employ a significant number of women on its staff to ensure that the human rights of all the people of Liberia, both men and women, are protected.
Many of the peacekeeping troops that are expected to serve in Liberia are being drawn from countries in sub-Saharan Africa where rates of HIV/AIDS are high. While statistics of HIV infection in individual militaries are rarely available, some estimates reach as high as 70% in sub-Saharan Africa. RI urges countries providing troops to offer extensive HIV/AIDS education to the troops prior to deployment. Providing treatment of STIs and focusing on STI prevention is another way to reduce HIV transmission while avoiding the stigma of HIV testing.
Refugees International, therefore, recommends that:
- Appropriate and accessible health treatment
for victims of rape and other forms of GBV be provided in communities and
in all IDP and refugee camps;
- UNMIL's strict Code of Conduct to prevent
sexual exploitation be enforced;
- The UN Gender Advisor for the SRSG is
staffed and resourced to allow the monitoring of soldiers and needs of
female ex-combatants, as well as to mainstream gender into all aspects
of UNMIL activities;
- NGOs and UNMIL ensure female ex-combatants
receive adequate health and social services and that programs for male
ex-combatants include information and counseling about gender-based violence
and human rights (including rights of women and girls);
- UNMIL and GOL train civil police, judges,
and other law enforcement officials about crimes of gender-based violence,
including sensitive interviewing, investigations of GBV, and special considerations
for safety and security of victims and potential victims;
- Focus on providing women and girls with
the economic and social resources needed to reduce their reliance on commercial
sex work and their vulnerability to sexual exploitation;
- UNMIL provide aggressive treatment for STIs to all former combatants in the cantonment sites and that NGOs incorporate treatment of STIs in their health programs for communities, IDPs, returnees, and ex-combatants.