Last Updated on June 11, 2025 by The Liberian Investigator
GBARNGA, Bong County — In a quiet community in Gbarnga, a young mother sits on a worn wooden chair, her five-year-old son nestled silently in her lap. Her expression is somber as she recalls the day that shattered their peace and upended their lives.
Mamie — not her real name — is 25 years old. A high school graduate and mother of one, she speaks in a soft, weary tone, the weight of her pain evident in every word as she recounts the trauma that continues to haunt her family.
“It was three years ago,” she says. “I was still in school when my younger sister called me. She was crying, saying blood was coming from my son.”
Mamie rushed home to find her then two-year-old child bleeding, in pain, and unable to say what had happened. What she learned next devastated her.
“They told me a boy named Daniel had sodomized my son,” she says, fighting back tears.
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he underwent emergency treatment and received four stitches due to the severity of the injury. But the pain did not end with the medical intervention.
Today, Mamie says her son still suffers — physically and emotionally. He experiences stomach pains, sudden withdrawal, and behavioral changes. Yet, despite the severity of the crime, she says the government has offered no psychological, medical, or financial support.
“Since that time, we’ve been on our own,” she says. “His father and I carry him from one hospital to another. No one from the government came to ask about his condition.”
Stigma and Silence
The family’s ordeal is compounded by social stigma — especially given that the victim is a boy, in a country where sexual violence against male children is often shrouded in silence.
“In our own community, people still point fingers,” Mamie says. “When we pass, some whisper. Even in school, students mock him. He feels ashamed and isolated.”
The trauma has led Mamie to believe that relocation is their only path forward.
“He deserves a fresh start — somewhere people don’t know what happened,” she says. “Please, relocate us so my child can find peace and focus on school.”
A System Failing Survivors
According to the Liberia National Police’s 2022 Annual Crime Statistics Report, more than 1,945 cases of rape were reported that year, many involving children. Yet male-targeted sexual abuse remains vastly underreported, driven underground by stigma, shame, and a lack of legal safeguards for male survivors.
Liberia’s legal framework — including the Revised Rape Law of 2005 and the Children’s Law of 2011 — criminalizes all forms of sexual abuse and mandates protection and rehabilitation for child survivors. But enforcement remains inconsistent, and Mamie’s story reflects a broader pattern of neglect.
“They only arrested the boy,” she says. “That’s all. No help came to us. No follow-up. We’re still here, still suffering.”
Gaps in Mental Health and Child Protection
Access to mental health services in Liberia remains a significant challenge. There are only a handful of certified clinical psychologists in the country, and most are concentrated in Monrovia. In rural counties like Bong, professional trauma counseling and psychiatric care are virtually nonexistent.
The few safe homes — shelters designated for survivors of abuse — are either underfunded, overcrowded, or not functioning. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has acknowledged these gaps and promised improvements, but progress has been slow.
Forgiveness, But Not Closure
In a remarkable act of strength, Mamie says she has forgiven the 15-year-old boy who attacked her son.
“I forgive him with my whole heart,” she says. “But forgiveness doesn’t heal my son. He’s still suffering, and we need help — with relocation, school, business support, and medical bills.”
Her plea extends beyond government agencies. She hopes that churches, humanitarian organizations, and well-meaning individuals will step forward to support her family in building a new life.
“I’m ready to leave here and start over,” she says. “He deserves better than this.”
A Broader Call to Action
Mamie’s story is not unique. It illustrates the systemic failure to protect and rehabilitate child survivors of sexual violence in Liberia. While the law criminalizes assault — including sodomy — the lack of sustained support for survivors often leaves families abandoned once police reports are filed or perpetrators are arrested.
Experts and advocates argue that real change will require:
- Access to quality mental health care across all counties
- Functional and well-funded safe homes for children
- Relocation assistance for survivors facing stigma or danger
- Public education to challenge stigma and victim-blaming
- Consistent follow-through from law enforcement and child protection services
Mamie ends her story with a heartfelt message: “To the people abroad who once helped us, thank you. I have nothing to give, but I appreciate you from my heart. I just want my son to be safe, to heal, and to smile again.”
Editor’s Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the survivor and his family while further investigation continues.
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