Nicholas Kristof's NY Times column today exposes the cultural acceptance of rape in Liberia long after the war is over. He recounts the cases of minor girls who have been raped and now living in shelters for rape survivors. The inspirational part of his piece is the young Jackie declaring that she wants to one day become the president of Liberia and build houses for abused girls.
The most chillingly aspect of his piece is the thought that Liberian men have become conditioned to not regard rape as an awful act of brute power overcoming helplessness. Instead according to Kristof, when men feel like sex they just overcome the nearest girl. Forceful sex with unwilling partners isnt a terrible deed for Liberian men, it is a customary act of asserting and satisfying their power and sexual needs respectively. Unfortunately, the public health system does not seem capable to cater to rape victims. Many cases are transferred to the main hospital in Monrovia to adequately provide halthcare facilities. Hence in remote regions, raped victims are often left untreated which undoubtedly leads to sever health complications.
This form of social deconstruction of rape will wreck havoc for the females' movement and for their security. The prospect of generations of females being raped at minor ages is highly plausible. How many of them are like Jackie? How many of them have the courage and the determination to overcome the injustices and abuses imposed upon them? How many of them can have hopes for positive futures?
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