LIBERIA: Liberian police force recruits women to change attitudes and end violence against women

Record ID: 452840

  • Title: LIBERIA: Liberian police force recruits women to change attitudes and end violence against women
  • Date: 11th May 2007
  • Summary: (AD1) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SEEMA DHUNDIA, INDIAN FORMED POLICE UNIT (FPU) COMMANDER TALKING TO FEMALE SOLDIERS VARIOUS OF FEMALE SOLDIERS STANDING
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Liberia
  • Country: Liberia
  • Reuters ID: LVA1P4L28GAIXIJLDYAR89JFDV41
  • Story Text: Liberia is planning to reinforce its police force with women to help change attitudes and improve services for women who are victims of violence.

    Women attending a human rights class in Monrovia hope to join the Liberian Police Force and a United Nations initiative helps to make that dream a reality.
    Most Liberian women are not qualified to join the country's police academy, with illiteracy levels highest amongst women.
    Due to Liberia's high levels of rape and sexual violence, the police are desperately looking to recruit more women in the hope that this will change attitudes towards women. There are currently only 2,000 female officers in the force, which is just 5 percent of the quota they are looking for.
    The United Nation Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is helping the Liberian police create separate sections for women and children within their precincts to encourage women to report problems.
    During Liberia's brutal 14-year war, thousands of women and children were victims of rape and sexual violence. Despite the war ending over four years ago, there are still eight cases of rape reported every week.
    A male-dominated police force means that the majority of rape cases go unreported. Even when a victim reports the offence, perpetrators are hardly ever prosecuted.
    "Most of the time we were manhandled by our husbands and boyfriends. And when we went over to the police station to carry our cases to the police station, the police men that we met there on duty at the time would come out to make fun of us, telling us that, 'he's your husband, and there's nothing that we can do, go home and fix it," said Alous Jackson, a police woman trainee.
    The United Nations is also working in conjunction with the Liberian police to give women they basic education they will need in order have a better chance of gaining entry into the academy. There are 150 trainees in the accelerated learning programme.
    Jackson said she was happy to participate in the programme underlining the importance of having a woman behind the desk to help other women.
    "I for one was very happy to participate into this programme because I felt that when women are out there tomorrow, when we will be handed desks, as desk sergeants and other things tomorrow, when our friends come with a problem we'll be able to look at that problem, try to settle it, amicably, so that we can make both parties satisfied, instead of one party satisfied, and the other one going hurt," Jackson said.
    The United Nations' first all-female peacekeeping contingent hopes to give Liberian women the example needed, the 103 Indian female officers have been based in Monrovia since January this year.
    Commander Seema Dhundia says her unit is there primarily to support the police, but that the presence of her officers will also help to increase the respect for women in Liberia.
    "Having female officers in their own country is definitely going to instil confidence in the local population. And then of course, on having, on seeing a competent, professional lady on the ground, putting on the best of equipment, the population is definitely going to come forward and they'll come and approach them and I think it's going to have a positive effect on society," Dhundia said.
    Noah Flomo thought fleeing to Ivory Coast during the civil war will help her and her family escape the brutality of the war. She had started a small business there, selling fish mainly to other refugees.
    "I'm going in for the money, and immediately after I entered, he jumped on me. He jumped on me right away, just like that. It was bad for me, so bad. And I had been a refugee, and could have gone to another town. And from there, I came back to Liberia, and only to find myself today, in this infection," said Noah Flomo, describing how she was raped by a fellow refugee infecting her with HIV
    The Liberian branch of the Society for Women with Aids in Africa (SWAA) tries to help women like Noah.
    Flomo's friend Zia Cosa was raped on five different occasions.
    "I was tied, my clothes were torn, and they raped me more than four different times, different soldiers. I cried all night screaming, but who could have come to my rescue, I had no one to come to my rescue," said Cosa.
    The International medical agency Merlin say that in some parts of the country as many as three out of four women have been raped. Merlin registers about 2 child rape cases every month.
    "Today is me, it could be someone else tomorrow. My fear is it will be my children. It could be any of them. So there's the reason why we are talking, so that our voices can be heard out there, so that our government, and the internationals do something to help and stop this violence of women, because we are highly abused," Noah Flomo added.
    Alan Doss, UNMIL's chief of mission said more women are reporting crimes committed against them, enabling them to see the depth of the problem.
    "Violence against women continues, I have to say. The president herself has spoken out on this. Rape is by far and away the most serious crime committed here. Ironically, partly because of the presence of UNMIL and our work with the police, more reports are now coming in of rape, women now feel, their families now feel they can report this now, and that is a good thing. But we now realise the depth of the problem, and the action that needs to be taken to deal with it," he said.
    Hopefully some of these women will soon be able to help stop the suffering of so many women across their country.
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