Asia Blogging Network

The current police force in the Liberian capital Monrovia is unable to combat an increase in violent crime, according to
a recent independent report and many of the city’s residents have created their own civil defence groups. I remember when the house care-taker, a fellow that works at our residential compound have to leave an hour early from work to join the vigilant patrol in his neighborhood. He also added that the group is equipping themselves with maschettis and wooden stick when combing streets within their area.

“Armed robbery is on the increase in Monrovia and we are not convinced that our police force can handle this type of crime,” said a community leader in the crime-prone suburb of Paynesville in the east of Monrovia where locals have formed patrols.

In another Monrovia suburb, New Kru Town, Nyononti Darbgeh, who supervises a civilian night patrol team there, said the situation is so bad, “We have no choice but to provide security for ourselves.”

The UN and Liberian police officials in Monrovia confirmed that crime has been steadily increasing in recent months with 47 reported cases of violent assault and theft from March to April.  Just yesterday night, I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to witness and documenting the on-going night patrols implemented jointly by the Indian Formed Female Police Unit and the Liberian National Police, strolling the night walking the dark passages, of the inner avenues and alleyway in areas like Sinkor, Congo Town and downtown Monrovia.

That particular night, there was 5 units of joint patrols, each unit consist of 4-5 Indian Police women officer, fully geared with helmets, protective vest and of course - the assault rifle and tear gas cannisters, while the Liberian counterpart remain unarmed. There are foot and vehicular patrols, executed every night covering most areas of the city of Monrovia led by the Indian female formed-police unit.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which has been overseeing security in the war-ravaged country, started a programme in 2004 to train 3,500 police by June 2007 and police officials shared to the newspaper in Liberia that that number has since increased to 6,000.  The national police is still undergoing series of on-going revitalization and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has been assisting in implementing a national crime prevention strategy.

However, what I can sense through various people I talked with, they say that community leaders feel worried/concerned once UNMIL downsizes its 15,000-strong force which is planned to start in September 2008. I can imagine how the crime rate especially armed robbery would be worsening.

Addressing the issue, as put on the news that training of an elite team of 500 police officers will soon be undertaken by DynCorp, a private American security contractor. Whereby the Quick Reaction Unit [QRU], as the team will be called, will be trained by leading international police trainers to tackle-down armed threats.

As we walked further, in that night patrols, I also chatted with few of the Indian formed police women. One patrol leader said that crime actions normally takes place beyond midnight to dawn, ranging from small burglary to murder. The local people whom we passed on our patrol route expressed their appreciations to the fact that we are safeguarding their nights and able to sleep better.

Apart from the effort borne by UNMIL and the Liberian police authority, still the securing the neighborhood remain the sole responsibility of the people who lives there. What would you say if this same situation happens in your community, care to share your thoughts?

Having been here for over 3 years, seeing the reality that is beyond bites, I must say that it has never been easy to be women in Liberia. With all sort of task to keep the family in one piece and at often times playing the role of a bread-winner, struggling to make a living.

Some whom I met have lost their spouse, because of the war or never came back for a lot of different reasons. Those who decided to comeback from being refugees, has to start from scratch back to square one building what the can get one day at a time. Truly an amazing test, the strong will and determination made them capable and later on succeeded in making things better. Some started to open a small business selling stuffs, or similar - like this lady with her breakfast stand, catering scrambled egg and a cup of hot-choco in the morning for those left the house without breakfast while wait for the public transportation they go for a quick bite and gulp.

I see many women taking their kids along to their daily dwelling; babies are often carried on their back. I guess mommy has to do some work to make a living. Some shots below could tell of how the trouble and difficulties women have to make in their daily life.

This situation was once a dark-traumatic one. As Liberia went through a brutal armed conflict, violence against women was beyond belief.

Violence against women is defined by the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 1993, as “any act of gender-based violence (GBV) that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. It is a form of gender-based violence and includes sexual violence.

A story from the DR Congo from IRIN Website:

As Elizabeth and her captors arrived at the militia camp, she realized that dozens of other girls had also been kidnapped. “When we got there we were so many,” she said. “We were taken into the bush, when a big man came and took me.”

Life with the Mayi Mayi, an ethnic milita, was a nightmare of almost continuous abuse. “All they did was come and ‘take’ us often. They used to tie up the women and tie their husbands to trees then take us [the girls],” the 17-year-old told IRIN.” I stayed with them for so long and it didn’t matter any more who took me.”

Elizabeth’s ordeal happened in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but it could well have been in Sierra Leone, Liberia or a variety of other countries. Wherever there is armed conflict, there are stories like hers, stories of rape, of trauma; stories of unimaginable horror, of girls and women who have been gang-raped, held indefinitely as sex-slaves, beaten, mutilated, killed. Sometimes the victims are in their 70s or 80s, sometimes they are younger women, or teenagers. Some are as young as six months old.

It is indeed a very tragic and awful experience.

In Liberia, nowadays more attention has been given to the empowerment of women, which to include protection to women’s right against domestic violence and gender-based violence. As public campaign has been actively promoted through the media, more women are now understands of their rights and education to girls are actively encouraged.

Sexual violence includes sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. It refers to any act, attempt, or threat of a sexual nature that result, or is likely to result in, physical, psychological and emotional harm. Sexual violence is a form of gender-based violence.

Expanded Definition of Sexual and Gender-based Violence used by the UNHCR and implementing partners, Article 2 of the UN General Assembly Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993):

“Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation;
2. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution;
3. Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.”

As UN staff working in the mission, we are also being given training on GBV and related issues. I am confident that days to come, Liberia will get much better and the women will be well empowered.