Examining gender based violence and abuse among Liberian school students in four counties: An exploratory study

Abstract The purpose of this article is to uncover the extent of sexual gender based violence (GBV) experienced by a convenience sample of students from select counties in Liberia and to understand the disclosure experiences of those victims willing to come forward. Girls ( n = 758) and boys ( n = 1...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child abuse & neglect 2015-06, Vol.44, p.76-86
Main Authors: Postmus, Judy L, Hoge, Gretchen L, Davis, Rebecca, Johnson, Laura, Koechlein, Elizabeth, Winter, Samantha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data
Child Advocacy
Coercion
Criminal statistics
Disclosure
Female
Females
Gender differences
Gender-based violence
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Liberia
Liberia - epidemiology
Male
Males
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
School sample
School violence
Schools - statistics & numerical data
Sex crimes
Sex Offenses - statistics & numerical data
Sexual Abuse
Sexual coercion
Sexual violence
Students - statistics & numerical data
Transactional sex
Victims of crime
Violence
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract The purpose of this article is to uncover the extent of sexual gender based violence (GBV) experienced by a convenience sample of students from select counties in Liberia and to understand the disclosure experiences of those victims willing to come forward. Girls ( n = 758) and boys ( n = 1,100) were asked about their sexual GBV experiences including their disclosure experiences, if applicable. Results indicated that sexual violation (i.e., peeping or inappropriate touching) was found among both girls and boys. Sexual coercion (i.e., forced sex) was more prevalent than transactional sex (i.e., trading sex for grades or money). Both sexual coercion and transactional sex were reported by more girls than boys, yet the rates for the most severe form of sexual violence (i.e., sexual coercion) were high for both girls (30%) and boys (22%). When students were asked if they told anyone, 38% reported that they did disclose their experiences. This study contributes to a small but growing body of research to document the prevalence and types of sexual violence against children in Liberia. Consistent with other studies, the evidence shows that sexual violence against boys and girls is occurring at alarming rates.
ISSN:0145-2134
1873-7757
DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.11.012