An Analysis of the Implementation of Gender Based Initiatives in Post-conflict Liberia

Citation:

Pruit, Carli N. 2018. "An Analysis of the Implementation of Gender Based Initiatives in Post-conflict Liberia." PhD diss, Widener University.

Author: Carli N. Pruitt

Abstract:

The Liberian people have suffered immensely in recent decades; years of guerrilla-style civil conflict followed by the Ebola crisis has dramatically impacted the nation in a variety of ways. Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is highly prevalent in modern day Liberia, as a result of the country’s torrid past. This qualitative study examined the implementation of gender based initiatives under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in post-conflict Liberia. The primary goal of the study was to identify barriers to implementation of initiatives aimed at gender equality and addressing the issue of sexual and gender based violence. Identification of these barriers is the first step to improved implementation and, ultimately, a reduction in the prevalence of SBGV as well as justice and improved treatment for victims. Seven individuals who directly work with victims of sexual and gender based violence were interviewed utilizing a semistructure questionnaire, and the transcripts were then analyzed using NVivo software and modified grounded theory. Three themes emerged from the content of the interviews: cultural trauma, inadequate government action, and ineffective community response. Participants identified poverty, an inefficient legal system, and a lack of accessible healthcare as the most prominent barriers to implementation of UNSCR gender based initiatives in post-conflict Liberia. Moreover, participants made numerous recommendations to positively impact implementation and identified ways in which the government and the communities are already making positive steps in the right direction. While this study demonstrates that there is much more work to be done, it also highlights the progress achieved thus far as well as the hope and resilience of the Liberian people.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Conflict, Gender, Gender-Based Violence, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Justice, Post-Conflict, Sexual Violence, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325 Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Liberia

Year: 2018