The vivid increase in the incidence of Liberian men sexually abusing or raping in other countries is becoming alarming; currently two Liberia diplomats are serving nine years jail terms each for sexually abusing girls in South Korea, which is embarrassing. And the annoying part is that reports are from India that another Liberian man is being held in custody for allegedly raping a Zimbabwean girl. Few months ago, it was reported that a Liberian man on study vacation raped a Liberian girl who is a foreign student. This is what happens when an entire society normalizes a crime. The crime of sexual violence has been normalized in Liberia and there is a saying that goes “charity begins at home”.
In Liberia, there is a notion that when a woman says no she is actually saying yes but only playing hard to get therefore the man must force himself on her. Many young girls were and are survivors of rape because of this perception and their violators are walking free. Another belief is that if a woman agrees to go on a dinner date with you or if she agrees to sit with you for a drink, she has actually agreed to have sex with you hence after the date or drink and she refuses to have sex with you, the right thing to is to force yourself on her. These perceptions are in trenched in our society which makes a Liberian man to feel entitled to a woman’s body. A male and female friendship in Liberia is most often misinterpreted and the males are mostly to cross the friendship lines and disrespecting the female in the friendship.
The prevalence of sexual violence and abuse especially rape have been so high and understanding the consequences of the crime has been the more difficult part. The perpetrators refused to understand that the crime of sexual violence is as grave as murder, arm robbery or treason which is all first degree felony under Liberian Laws.
Perpetrators almost certainly develop preferred methods of targeting victims/survivors and avoiding detection what they refuse to develop is the capacity for self-restraint; and the responsiveness to social controls, so as to constrain sexual behavior in accordance with social rules and laws especially concerning age-appropriateness, mutuality and consent.
Sexual violence and abuse/rape is an epidemic that becoming endemic in Liberia because the Liberian society has normalize this crime by always finding an excuse when perpetrators are caught. In the context of this crime becoming endemic, specific incidents may be prompted that are associated with the presence of vulnerable and unprotected women and children. Another thing that is promoting this is the Social pressure that is likely to be created when ‘everyone is doing it’, or perhaps particularly when a friend, colleague, family member, or superior is involved and nothing is done. Maybe due to the persistent breakdown of usual rules and social controls during the heat of the civil war that weakens moral restraints and signal permissibility of sexual violence/rape and other forms of violence against women and girls. In conflict zones, normal rules for conduct, individual moral self-censuring, and formal and informal social controls often alter or cease to apply. The armed conflict alone does not explain these upsurges in sexual violence/rape. In other circumstances moral restraints may be weakened by collective justification or moral neutralization, as it is in this case of the current Liberian society.
Our boys grow up feeling entitled to a woman’s body therefore they cannot easily control their sexual desires. Sexual abuse and violence against women have been modified by comments that internalized sexual violence/rape and violence against women during early socialization.
Positive socialization is necessary to deter a universal biologically-based potential for adolescent and adult males to engage in self-serving and aggressive sexual behavior.
We as families need to teach our children (boys and girls) that sexual abuse is a crime just as we have done so well with teaching them that snatching cellphones, picking pockets, or picking meat from a pot of stew is a grave crime. We all know growing up as a child what happens when a child is caught in the act of picking meat from a bowl of stew or has taken something that do not belongs to them. That child will be severely punished sometimes by the entire community as a sign of caution. When it comes to the crime of sexual abuse the community will justify the act of the perpetrator and blame the survivor for maybe being disrespectful, or a wayward girl, or might have dress indecently which prompted the boy to target her.
Some key mechanisms to being a decent person are self- restraint, emotional self-regulation, empathic concern and moral reasoning. These key mechanisms lead to social control which contributes to positive interpersonal and social affections.
It’s deeply disturbing that this pervasive violence by men against women not only persists but remains unchanged and to address violence against women, there’s an urgent need to reduce stigma around this issue, and dismantle the foundations of gender inequality.
We as a people refused to fight it with deep-rooted and sustained efforts and worst of it all our government refused to improve access to opportunities and services for women and girls.
Again if I may remind us as a people, preventing violence requires addressing systemic economic and social inequalities, ensuring access to education and safe work, changing discriminatory gender norms and institutions, reforming discriminatory laws and strengthening legal responses.
Violence against women is…causing harm to hundreds of women and their families and has been exacerbated, moreover, the violence starts early long after it ends.
Violence?can impact a woman’s health and well-being throughout her life, often associated with depression, anxiety, unplanned pregnancies and many other health problems, according to the study.
