A community-driven approach to ending sexual violence against children in Liberia

In Liberia, 49% of the population is under the age of 18 making it a country with a significant youth demographic (Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2016). However, sexual violence against children remains a pervasive problem particularly in schools. Research shows that Liberian students face various forms of sexual violence including harassment, transactional sex and sexual coercion at alarming rates (Steine et al., 2021). This widespread violence seriously undermines children's rights and their physical as well as mental well-being, while also having a negative impact on their school performance. Girls involved in transactional sex are at increased risk of early pregnancy and HIV infection, largely due to power imbalances that hinder safe sexual practices (Atwood et al., 2011).

Liberia has made progress by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and passing the Children’s Law in 2012. There are several mechanisms for reporting sexual violence such as the human trafficking hotline “2883”. However, implementation of these reporting systems remains sub-optimal. Only a small percentage of students who are victims of sexual violence report it, reflecting limited knowledge of these pathways, social stigma and a lack of trust in mechanisms designed to offer recourse (Postmus et al., 2015). In addition, school management and teachers have little awareness of child sexual abuse, support systems for survivors are weak and perpetrators often escape accountability for their actions.

World Hope International has launched an innovative program to combat sexual violence against children in Liberia aiming to reach 150 villages during the 2025-2026 school year. The program focuses on interactive tools and targeted training for school staff and communities. Key innovations include:

At school level:

• Flipchart “I am Special and I Should Feel Proud”: A child-friendly tool designed by the NGO Orphans Relief and Rescue in collaboration with World Hope International Liberian local staff to teach children about bodily autonomy, recognizing inappropriate behavior and reporting incidents. The flipchart draws on best practices from anti-violence initiatives.
• School Assessment and Staff Training: A program designed to help teachers and staff identify at-risk children, recognize potential perpetrators and handle student disclosures with a trauma-sensitive approach.

At community level:

• Community Engagement: Meetings with parents and community members to reinforce school-level messages raise awareness about child exploitation and improve responses to violence.
• Impact Evaluation: The project led by Innovation for Poverty Action will evaluate the program’s impact, contributing valuable evidence on interventions targeting sexual violence in low-income countries.

The implementation of this project intends to provide evidence on the effectiveness of an innovative approach to addressing sexual violence against children in Liberia. The program aims to reduce incidents of sexual violence while improving mental, physical and reproductive health of survivors. It also seeks to have a positive impact on children's school attendance and enhance the livelihoods of affected households.

Additionally, the intervention will build the capacity of school staff and community members to recognize, respond to and protect against sexual violence by ensuring that trained personnel can provide rapid and effective support to beneficiaries. By using existing reporting mechanisms such as the Human Trafficking Hotline “2883” and integrating additional protocols, the project will improve reporting rates and accountability for sexual violence cases. Through this multifaceted approach, the project intends to deliver high-quality support services to victims while promoting a safer environment for children in Liberia.