"TO DO" Tuesday: Access to Justice

Today is a particularly serious "TO DO" Tuesday. Be warned, this is not light reading, but it is important to know the seriousness of the scars that Liberian women wear as a result of the war and its after affects. Equip Liberia is doing much to heal those wounds and provide hope in Christ and justice in this present world. I (Jessica) may end up working with their Access to Justice program and feel very strongly that God's heart is for justice and healing.

GBV-Does anyone know what that stands for? Since I am doubtful that any other folks reading this blog were Women's Studies majors I will do some decoding.

GBV: Gender Based Violence

This terminology is used to encompass all of the types of violent oppression that can happen to a person based merely on their biological sex. Sexual abuse and rape against women are the primary forms of GBV. Rape is a weapon of war and has been used in many war torn countries to oppress the population. Rape in some cultures can be a violation not only of one's person, but also a cultural taboo that can make a woman unmarriageable or ostracized from her husband and community.

Equip Liberia is working to bring justice to victims of GBV through their Access to Justice program. Here is a World Vision report about the unique program that Equip Liberia has underway:

(Click on the picture to hear the report on Equip Liberia's Access to Justice program)

For those of you who don't click over to listen to the World Vision report let me fill you in.

Equip Liberia's fleet of vehicles transport victims of GBV to court dates so that they can testify against their attacker(s). Let me put it this way, without transportation there are no witnesses, without witnesses there are no convictions. The Access to Justice program (also known as Wheels of Justice) provides this service to victims to allow them to testify against their attacker(s) in court which ultimately leads to convictions and jail time. Equip Liberia also provides counseling and other needed medical services to GBV victims.

It would be wonderful to think that this was an unneeded service, but in a country that has lost so much it unfortunately is a very real need. Please pray for all the workers with Equip Liberia's Access to Justice program. Not only is this program changing lives, but it is changing cultural attitudes towards GBV. Pray for God's healing and justice to reign in Liberia.