Women’s perspectives on transitional justice in Liberia

Abstract

The emancipation of women from the regions of war has been a subject of critical debate across all cultures and geographical settings, including Liberia. Hence, the concept of transitional justice for its application in Liberia needs to be analysed in the context of the history of the country and how it has impacted the social demography of the region along with the role of women needs to be assessed. The aim of this research was to understand the experience of women being involved in transitional justice and peacebuilding in Liberia. A primary qualitative research approach was used for the same with foundations based on critical feminist theory. The participants were recruited through purposive sampling with collection of data using semi-structured interviews. The findings of the interviews conducted among the upper-middle-class women of Monrovia included the primary themes: the transitional justice movement has altered the role of women in Liberia, the emancipation of women is yet to reach the masses, and the movement of transitional justice needs to evolve further. Hence, it can be concluded that the transitional justice initiatives like TRC had failed to completely engage with the civil society of Liberia and thus failed to convert the opportunity for mobilization of the potential of civil society for expanding its awareness and enhancing involvement in different efforts of reconciliation, alternative adjunction and witness protection. This was needed as collective action was needed. Hence, future studies can be developed that focus on a greater diversity of population and larger sample size for a more comprehensive understanding of perceptions of women regarding transitional justice.