Safe Houses for Victims of Sexual Violence

"Any woman or girl who falls victim to this sort of violence, especially rape, is really having her possibilities for contributing to society greatly diminished." -Secretary-General's Special Representative in Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Löj (UN News Service).

One of the biggest obstacles in the support and rehabilitation of survivors of sexual violence is finding them adequate shelter. However in Liberia they are looking to ease that burden, as The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has built a new safe house for survivors of sexual violence in the capital, Monrovia. In addition to the safe house UNMIL has also worked to refurbish a former jail in an effort to ease overcrowding in country's strained prison system. The safe house, who's operations where handed over to a local NGO, was built as part of a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) supported project, costing $24,000. The safe house is more than just a house for the survivors of sexual violence, as they also receive psychosocial support, basic literacy skills development, vocational training and information about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Liberia's long running civil war, saw an all too common use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Since the end of the conflict in 2003, peace has not erased the scars of violence from the girls and women who where raped and assaulted, due to both the nature of the crimes, for which one never truly recovers and the standing impunity to prosecute the perpetrators of such horrific crimes. It has been estimated that more than half of all women and girls where victims of gender based sexual violence during the 14 year conflict.

The battle against sexual violence is far from over, but the new safe haven is a ray of hope in a dark world which plagues millions of women in Liberia and across the globe. Gender based discrimination and violence remains prevalent in many countries worldwide, especially in West Africa, and the building of a safe house and the establishment of support services in conjunction with sustainable life skills training programs is an example one hopes to see springing up in all countries of conflict. However safe havens and support programs alone should not be seen as the key to end sexual violence, as the roots of gender violence and discrimination must be tackled and overcome before we are to see true progress and advancement of the women of the world. Therefore it is vital that education and awareness programs be put into place, especially in rural communities, to educate families and communities on the realities and long term effects of gender discrimination. Additionally the long standing impunity over gender based crimes, especially the use of rape as a weapon of war, must come to an end.