Ezekiel Pajibo

This Is Our Liberia and Our Attitude Toward Women

Background

The election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has emboldened Liberian women to step up and take charge of their lives; and yet pervasive sexist cultural norms and male chauvinism continue to prevail. As the former Director of the Center for Democratic Empowerment in Liberia, I was in a position to observe this behavior firsthand.

Just prior to the 2006 election, I had the opportunity to visit several counties to conduct what in NGO parlance we call “civic education”. During one such visit, I held a meeting with some elders.  As the discussions proceeded, one of the elders said to me, “My son, the way you are talking to us, it seems as if you want for us to vote for the woman who wants to be president.”

I was taken aback by the elder’s straightforwardness. I told him that the final decision was his; all I was trying to do was to explain the vision of the various candidates and what they stood for.  He responded by saying, “I have some difficulty with this matter of a woman president. Here in our part of the world, we are guided by the Chief Priest. It is against our tradition for a woman to meet the Chief Priest in person. If we vote for this woman and she becomes president, how can she meet our Chief Priest face to face? Such a thing is impossible!”

Dumbfounded, my sense of alacrity abandoned me. I tried to compose myself and found myself saying, “Papay, if the woman becomes president, then she non become man’o.” That was all I could think of to say, for I could not find the words to explain women’s rights, gender equality and all the other similar terms we NGO folks are wont to use. There at that place, at that time, the elder was adamant that only a man could engage the Chief Priest; according to him, it is the Chief Priest who provides guidance and has the final say in what the elders can and cannot do.

Two other important interactions are worth mentioning. The first was on the issue of rape. At the time, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) was spearheading efforts to lobby for passage of an anti-rape law. The issue was well publicized and entrenched positions were quite heatedly established.

I was a presenter at a Gender Awareness workshop held in the conference room at the Ministry of Gender Affairs. More than fifty various civil society “leaders” were in attendance to “build capacity” on “gender issues”. My topic was “Violence Against Women”. I put forth the case that rape in our society is a crime and punishment should therefore be enforced without any fear or favor. A subdued atmosphere enveloped the room. A very influential member of the media then said, “Mr. Pajibo, what are you talking about? The reason why girls are raped is because they dress provocatively.”

I responded by saying that the majority of rape victims – about 70% – know their perpetrators personally. Therefore, I concluded, it is unreasonable to suggest that provocative dressing is the cause of rape. He fired back immediately and said, “Well, you see, when we see the girls them on Broad Street dressed like that, our nut get vex and then we go home and then we rape.”

The room exploded with laughter. It was sickening, but the journalist’s statement was said as a matter of fact and very cavalierly. In that room were those who had appropriated the right to speak on behalf of the so-called illiterate people. They call themselves civil society leaders but they endorsed the journalist’s view of rape specifically, and more broadly, violence against women. In their worldview, women deserved what came to them. They blamed the victims.

The second encounter was at a high-end pub in the central business district of Monrovia. It was Happy Hour: two beers for the price of one. The place was humming. A good number of so-called self-respecting men – our local equivalent of big shots including leaders of political parties – hang out at this pub. One of such leaders decided to share his weekend exploits with all present – never mind that this was not solicited.

He bellowed: “On the weekend I had a total of three chicks and their combined ages was less then 45 years.” Loud grunts of respect and applause greeted the announcement. It was bewildering and overwhelming. I had to say something and quickly blurted out, “In some countries, you would be charged with rape – at least statutory rape.”

He unashamedly said to me, “My man, take your American thing from here.” I responded by saying, “But your daughter is in America and is protected by the law.” Then he said, “Give Pajibo a drink on me.  He my man, that’s why we like these human rights people.” This was followed by more laughter. The music played on; I quietly refused the offer and left- defeated.

Liberian Women and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Process

Perhaps there is no national process in the history of Liberia that has engaged women in the way the TRC has done. From its inception, the TRC process was determined to ensure the serious and solid involvement of women. Article V Section 7 of the TRC Act states: “The TRC shall comprise nine (9) commissioners, with not less than four (4) women making up its entire composition.”

During its existence, the TRC made sure that women were not simply involved with its work but were central to its activities. One of the major activities of the TRC was Statement Taking.  To achieve this task, 198 Statement takers were enlisted; of this number 100 were women. According to the TRC report, 22,000 statements were coded, and 47% of those statements were given by women. More than 200 women provided testimonies during Public Hearings. Traditional women leaders were canvassed and consulted by the TRC. As a result of these consultations rural Liberian women were enabled to participate in the process.

A national women’s conference was held to solicit input into the final TRC report. A summary of the major highlights of that conference is as follows:

1. The advancement of women rights by ensuring that girls and women benefit from education and training, economic empowerment, human security, rights protection and justice;
2. Enjoy the right to education, access to information and knowledge;
3. Right to work; right to an adequate standard of living;
4. Right to housing;
5. Right to inherit property.

Issues about violence against women were prominent in the deliberations. According to the conference participants, the issue of violence against women is part and parcel of the deepening poverty in the country, which was identified as rural poverty; urban poverty; and poverty as a result of gender disparities against women.

The wanton violence to which women were exposed and victim to during the war included rape, gang rape, rape with objects; disembowelment of pregnant women; murder; sexual slavery; and slave labor. Some organizations have reported that during the conduct of war, rape against women is central to the strategic terror tactics of the warring factions. The abuse of women bodies is seen “as an envelope to send messages to the enemy”. Meanwhile, the nature of the violence and its prevalence during the war “is directly related to the violence that exists in women’s lives during peacetime”, according to the Final TRC report.

This conclusion is an indictment on Liberian culture and traditions. Indeed, women have a visible presence in our government, but Liberian men continue to see women as punching bags.

The implementation of the recommendations of the TRC report can certainly assist Liberia’s effort to re-imagine itself, especially the relationship between men and women. When women’s rights are respected, then men’s rights are respected as men are the product of women.  When the rights of women to education, to housing, to an adequate standard of living are accomplished, our sisters, our mothers, our wives will be empowered and our entire society will be better off.  After all, more than 50% of Liberians are women, and if 50% enjoy the rights listed above, our country will be more prosperous and more stable.

Achieving rights for women and sensitivity to the abuse of women will be a mammoth feat, but not an impossible one. The TRC has provided us a framework to envision new public policy that will humanize our men.  Although the report has been maligned, we need to pay close attention to many – I will say all – of its recommendations as we begin to reconstruct Liberia. I know that once we celebrate Liberian womanhood, we will be honoring and celebrating ourselves.