The upsurge in rape cases and the accompanied silence from duty bearers continue to attract concerns from all quarters. The declaration of rape as a national emergency and the pronouncement on the Government launch of a Sex Offenders Registry in 2020 to tackle issues on rape in Liberia has had limited effect on the increasing rape cases.
Liberia’s rape crisis is a tragic alarm for all. The trend of zero protection for women and girls, reinforced by the wave of sexual violence against babies as young as nine (9) months has heightened the ineffectiveness and low quality of the criminal justice system. The recent death of 13-year-old, Blessing Moulton, and another three-year-old who was gruesomely raped in the Soul Clinic community has raised more questions than solutions in response to the rape crisis. There are more cases, including several girls below the age of three who were raped in Gbarpolu and the ELWA community respectively. Other incidents in other parts of the country, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, have ignited a nationwide outcry for women and girls’ protection, and genuine fear amongst communities.
The Culture
“Rape Culture” is the term used to describe the normalization of sexual assault in society- a culture in which rape and other sexual violence (usually against women and gender diverse peoples) is common and in which prevalent attitudes, norms, practices, and media condone, normalize, excuse, or encourage sexualized violence.
Three keywords from the definition of a rape culture firmly stand out as they relate to the handling of rape cases in Liberia- normalization, excuse, and encouragement.
There is a strong rape culture in Liberia perpetuated by silence and stigmatization. Rape is historically pervasive in Liberia, yet the silence from duty bearers has brought about an escalation of incidences in the past few months. To a large extent, it is fueled by fundamentalist values within religion, politics, and socio-cultural spaces that contribute to patriarchal social and gender norms and increase gender discrimination and sexual objectification. Rape continues to thrive because systems and structures to prevent rape and provide access to justice are weak. The gaps in the justice system reinforce inequalities based on inefficiencies, procrastination in adjudicating these cases, and a lack of harsher measures to mitigate this horrible menace.
Rape is rampant, under-reported, normalized, and often compromised, and the silence from accountable stakeholders has worsened the perceptions on protection and women’s rights.
Liberia has adequate laws to fight rape but needs enough agencies with the political will and capabilities to enforce these laws.
There is a need to look at the current laws and deepen the ongoing national debate on the epidemic of rape, making the system functional and accessible to the public. Fixing the system must be holistic, with human rights-based standards and tenets. This process should promote gender equality, safe spaces for women and girls, and socio-cultural values that eliminate inequalities that make women and girls vulnerable to SGBV. The Government, law enforcement agencies, and other agencies and institutions should be held accountable to deliver justice and punish perpetrators. The fight against rape is a multistakeholder one and the Government of Liberia must open the space to all, including, teachers, parents, law enforcement agencies, and so on.
A self-reflective approach to fighting rape will recognize that t perceptions, cultural inequalities, and gender norms sustain and reinforce rape culture. Women are perceived as the weaker gender despite the reality of care work. Moreover, women and girls are seen as sexual objects and subjected to practices and laws that affect their rights. Religious doctrines add to this context of unequal power relations between men and women and other communities of people. The culture of impunity and inaction on sexual and other forms of gender-based violence flourish because men are at the helm of these systems.
The fight against rape must not be left to women alone. Every member of our society must change mindsets in their spheres of influence and watch out for would-be perpetrators. Public enlightenment programs and sustained strategic communications aimed at creating a “counter-culture” of gender equality, human rights, and justice would help uproot and replace rape culture in Liberia.
The issue
The issue of sexual violence and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women has been a widespread problem in Liberia and hindered its holistic post-conflict recovery, coupled with a lack of policy attention and prioritization. Some factors include weak implementation of the law, the regressive nature of policies, and high instances of impunity. In September 2020, the Liberian government declared rape as a national emergency to provide a means of alleviating the sharp rise in rape incidents, demanding a thorough re-thinking of existing policies. Has President George Manneh Weah’s declaration fallen on deaf ears?
Rape has been the most prominent form of violence against women both during and after the two phases of Liberia’s civil war. In 2005, the Liberian government formulated the Rape Law. It was included in its Penal Code and formally announced as “An Act to Amend the New Penal Code Chapter 14 Sections 14.70 and 14.71 and to Provide for Gang Rape” in 2006. The scope of the law defined rape in terms of penetration of any kind by the perpetrator without the consent of the victim. While originally a non-bailable offense, the Liberian government passed a regressive amendment to the Rape Law in 2017, allowing perpetrators to be bailed out. (FrontPage Africa, 2017). In the context of the recent announcement of rape being a national emergency in Liberia, it is more important to acknowledge the psycho-social consequences faced by its survivors and families of the victims in the form of social stigmatization and post-traumatic stress disorders
The Repercussions
Sexual violence has devastating repercussions on women’s and girls’ lives. Considered a taboo topic, most Liberians do not speak openly about it and the lack of post-rape psychosocial support, emphasizing the reality that no one talks about life after rape. Rape is a ‘shock’ storyline on social media platforms, and as newspapers routinely report allegations and, though rarer, convictions of sexual violence. All too often, the commentary ends with a judge’s decision; the storyline concluded, and the script abruptly ends
Survivors of rape and sexual assault are left to ‘move on with their lives. The repercussions of this crime can last a lifetime. They range from body image issues, eating disorders, sexual difficulties, anxiety – even loss of relationships and friendships. The effect of rape on women’s perceptions of their bodies following sexual violence is enormous.
Branding the Rapist and Finding Excuses
Whenever there is a discussion about rape, we worry about who the rapist is, his state of mind, his age, and other factors. Of late, we have heard people say, “he is a beast, a monster, ritualists, etc., without mentioning the systemic problem within the justice system. We have misogyny and patriarchy ingrained in our culture. Men make sexist comments, and we define this as friendly indulgence. However, when he goes one step ahead and commits the actual crime, we all go on the defensive. He is falsely implicated or was under the influence of alcohol.
Speaking up
Because speaking up is just the beginning of a process, one that can last years, dragged through a courtroom, entangle parents, and loved ones, cast a cloud over work, and require the continual retelling of a uniquely horrific event. It becomes a Band-Aid ripped hundreds of times off a wound that does not heal. This context contributes to the reluctance of women to come forward and speak, and the reasons – which are internal and external, personal, and cultural – are so similar.
In countries where rape is used as an instrument of war, and where women march in black to fix the systems, the reasons women stay silent are the same – shame, and stigma, fear of not being believed, and fear of being hounded, and a desire to move beyond the pain. They worry about what their family members would think. They worry about “ruining” the life of a man who is, in many cases, known to the survivors. They worry about entering the dark tunnel of the justice system, with no actual promise of justice at the end.
The trend of escalating rape incidences is fearful and calls for the attention of all in society. The Government in conjunction with stakeholder must take sterner actions to mitigate the impact of this menace. If no action is taken, rape has the propensity to erode the realization of women and girls’ rights, and the society’s social fabric. The time is now, or the continued silence and lip-service accorded this peril will delude us eventually. And before we know it, rape may become an acceptable way of life, unfortunately.
By Siatta Scott Johnson
