Intimate Partner Violence and Civic Education in Liberia: A Mixed-Methods Study of Service-Seeking Behavior and Civic Knowledge in Two Monrovia Settlements Open Access

Abstract

Background

Challenges to implementing effective intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention strategies in post-war environments include displacement, damaged economies, and shifting gender roles. Liberia offered minimal IPV services before the war (1989-1996, 1999-2003). Ten years into post-war recovery, Liberia has instituted one of the first national action plans to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. Despite these advances, IPV remains highly prevalent and little is known about the overlap between people's knowledge of the law and whether and how they access IPV services.

Purpose

The study examined perceptions and accessibility of civic education and services following IPV in West Point and Peace Island, two urban settlements in Monrovia.It seeks to: 1) to determine community members' civic knowledge and trusted civic education sources, and 2) to document preferences in IPV services, perceptions of such services, and barriers to access.

Methods

We conducted eight structured focus group discussions (FGDs) (West Point: n=32; Peace Island: n=40) to determine available and preferred post-IPV services, service accessibility, civic knowledge, and sources of civic education. We also conducted five in-depth interviews and one FGD with purposively selected service providers to determine lessons learned for IPV prevention. Grounded theory guided qualitative data analysis on effective violence prevention mechanisms and perceptions of service accessibility and rights-based programming. A cross-sectional, three-stage, random cluster survey (West Point: n=212; Peace Island: n=183) assessed dispute prevalence, civic knowledge, trusted civic education sources, and services needed to reassert one's role in the community following IPV.

Results

Disparities in how information links to services may depend on who generates and disseminates information and/or provides services. Differences in men's and women's acceptance of messages and interventions also emerged, illustrating that gender considerations also shape people's interaction with services and rights-based initiatives.

Conclusion

Organizations working at the community level should disseminate rights-based and IPV messaging through trusted sources of knowledge and utilize actors in the community as agents of civic education. In addition, integrating information on IPV services with civic education in Liberia could enhance the policies' relevance to nongovernmental services and adequate support of governmental services.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1 Background and Rationale 1 Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Liberia 1

Intimate Partner Violence in Post-War Settings 2

Policy in Liberia 4 Problem Statement 5 Purpose Statement 5 Objectives 5 Research Questions 6 Contribution of Research 6 Definition of Terms 7 LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Introduction 8 Nongovernmental and Community-Based IPV Interventions 8 Community Education and Awareness 9

Economic Interventions 10

Engaging Men and Boys 12

Traditional Mechanisms 15

Governmental Approaches 16 Legal Infrastructure 16

Civic Education: Diffusion and Uptake 18

Summary 20 METHODOLOGY 21 Introduction 21 Study Setting 21 Study Population Sample 22 Research Design and Procedures 23 Qualitative 23 Quantitative 24 Data Analysis 27 Ethical Approval 28 RESULTS 29 Danger and Security 29 Service-Seeking Behavior 30 Service Accessibility 33 Trust 34 Perceptions of Rights-Based Programming 37 Reducing/Preventing Intimate Partner Violence 38 Civic Education 42 Civic Knowledge 47 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 49 Discussion 49 Macro vs. Micro Approaches 49 Gendered Perspectives 52 Limitations 53 Recommendations 54 The Carter Center 54 General 57 Conclusion 58
REFERENCES 60 MANUSCRIPT 67 APPENDIX A: IRB NOTICE 74 APPENDIX B: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDES 75 APPENDIX C: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW GUIDE 82 APPENDIX D: ENUMERATION MAPS 84

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Gender Studies Sociology, Social Structure and Development
Keyword	civic education domestic violence Liberia intimate partner violence civic knowledge IPV services women's rights sexual and gender-based violence
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Stephenson, Robert, Emory University
Committee Members	Scully, Pamela F, Emory University Tomczyk, Basia, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs International Non-governmental organization (e.g., CARE, Inc.) CDC

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