Submitted by The Global Citizens' Initiative (TGCI) to ... · MAKING ALL VOICES COUNT FINAL EVALUATION REPORT THE (LIBERIA) CITIZEN-GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT PROJECT (CGEP) Contract Reference

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September 29, 2017

MAKING ALL VOICES COUNT FINAL EVALUATION REPORT

THE (LIBERIA) CITIZEN-GOVERNMENT

ENGAGEMENT PROJECT (CGEP)

Contract Reference # CIM 1013175

Submitted by The Global Citizens' Initiative (TGCI)

to Making All Voices Count

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TableofContents1. INTRODUCTIONTOTHELIBERIACITIZEN-GOVERNMENTENGAGEMENTPROJECT 41.1. THEEVALUATIONFRAMEWORK 5

2. METHODOLOGYFORTHEEVALUATION 6

2.1. OVERVIEWOFMETHODS 62.2. QUANTITATIVEMETHODS 72.3. QUALITATIVEMETHODS 82.4. DEVELOPMENTALEVALUATION:FEEDBACKLOOPSANDCOLLABORATIVEREVIEW 9

3. CHARACTERISTICSOFTHEPOPULATION 10

4. FINDINGS 12

4.1. HASTHEREBEENACHANGEINCITIZENS’KNOWLEDGEANDAWARENESSOFCHILDSEXUALABUSE?IFSO,WHAT

CONTRIBUTIONHASTHEPROJECTMADETOTHISCHANGE? 134.1.1. ATTITUDESTOWARDSCHILDSEXUALABUSE 144.1.2. PERCEIVEDDANGERSTOCHILDRENINCOMMUNITIES 164.1.3. IMPACTOFMULTIPLECHANNELSOFCOMMUNICATIONONCSA 184.1.4. SCHOOL-BASEDAWARENESSPROGRAMSONCSA 194.1.5. PERSISTENCEOFTRADITIONALATTITUDESANDPRACTICES 194.2. HASTHEREBEENACHANGEINTHELEVELOFCITIZENREPORTINGUSINGTHESMS/HOTLINE?WHATFACTORS

INFLUENCETHISUSAGE? 204.2.1. AWARENESSANDUSEOFTHESMS/HOTLINE 204.2.2. CONSTRAINTSTOCITIZENUSEOFTHESMS/HOTLINESYSTEM 224.3. GOVERNMENTRESPONSETOCITIZENREPORTSOFCSA 234.3.1. BARRIERSTOAPPREHENDANDCONVICTCSAPERPETRATORS 234.3.2. CULTURALPRACTICE:NEGOTIATING(COMPROMISING)WITHPERPETRATORS 244.4. ISTHEREEVIDENCEONANYCHANGEINTHEINCIDENCEOFCSA?WHATDOCITIZENSBELIEVEABOUTTHIS? 264.5. WHATHASBEENTHECONTRIBUTIONOFDEVELOPMENTALEVALUATIONUSINGFEEDBACKLOOPSAND

COLLABORATIVECONSULTATION? 28

5. CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS 31

5.1. CITIZENS’KNOWLEDGEANDATTITUDESABOUTCHILDSEXUALABUSE 325.2. CITIZEN-GOVERNMENTENGAGEMENTINTHELEVELOFREPORTINGUSINGTHESMS/HOTLINE 335.3. GOVERNMENTRESPONSETOCITIZENREPORTSOFCSA 335.4. THEINCIDENCEOFCSA 335.5. THECONTRIBUTIONOFTHEDEVELOPMENTALEVALUATION 33

6. RECOMMENDATION 34

ANNEX1:TGCI-CGEPPOSTER 35

Tables

Table1:KIIsConducted,byTypeandGender..............................................................................................9Table2:SurveyRespondentsbyAgeGroupandCommunity/County.......................................................10Table3:EducationalAttainmentforAdults(age18+)byGender.............................................................11

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Table4:EducationalAttainmentforChildren(age13-17)byGender.......................................................11Table5:LiteracyandNumeracy,byGenderandAgeGroup.....................................................................12Table6:ExplicitPerceptionsofGBVStatedas“NeverOkay”....................................................................14Table7:IndividualPerceptionsofGBV:Percentageofsurveyrespondentsthatagreedwithstatement.15Table8:SummaryofGBVAttitudes,byGenderandAgeGroup(Higher%indicatesstrongerattitudes

againstGBV).......................................................................................................................................16Table9:Dangerstochildrenincommunity...............................................................................................17Table10:AwarenessofHotlinebyCountry...............................................................................................21Table11:HowRespondentHeardAboutTGCIHotline/SMSSystem.........................................................21Table12:SummaryofGovernmentCSATrackingDatabaseforfourCGEPCounties................................23Table13:ReportsReceivedandActedonbyQuarterforFourCounties..................................................26Table14:IncidenceofAbuseofChildreninlast3monthsinCommunity,byGender-%saying‘often’(on

scaleofdon’tknow,never,sometimes,andoften)...........................................................................27Table15:StructureofFeedbackLoops......................................................................................................29Table16:RepresentativeIssuesandRecommendationsfromFeedbackLoops........................................30

Acknowledgements

ThisreportwaspreparedbyGKConsulting(GwenHeanerandGenieBettencourt)with

technicalguidanceandreviewfromAshHartwellofUniversityofMassachusettsCenterfor

InternationalEducation(CIE),andRonIsrael(DirectorofTGCI)andDavidsonEfetobore(TGCI

LiberiaProgramDirector).ThefieldteamwasledbyEdwinMosesChea;criticallogisticaland

humanresourcesupportwasprovidedbyTGCIfieldoffice.Theresearchteamwishestothank

alltheparticipantsthattookpartinthebaseline,endline,andthroughthefeedbackloop

processeswhoofferedtheirtimeandcandidopinionsandideasaboutsomeverysensitiveand

importantissuesinLiberia.AllofTGCIwishtothankMAVCforthegenerousresearchgrant

thatmadethishugelyinsightfulevaluationprocesspossible.

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1. INTRODUCTIONTOTHELIBERIACITIZEN-GOVERNMENTENGAGEMENTPROJECT

TheLiberianCitizen-GovernmentEngagementProject(CGEP)seekstofosterthecollaboration

ofcitizensandgovernmenttocombatrampantpost-conflictchildsexualabuse(CSA).CGEPis

implementedbyTheGlobalCitizens'Initiative(TGCI),aninternationalnon-government

organization(NGO)whosemissionistoincreasethecapacityofcitizenstoaddressglobalissues

withinandacrosstheircountries.FundingsupportisprovidedbyMakingAllVoicesCount

(MAVC),aninternationalorganizationseekingtopromotetransparency,fightcorruption,

empowercitizens,andharnessthepowerofnewtechnologiestomakegovernmentmore

effectiveandaccountable.

CGEPworksincollaborationwiththeLiberianMinistryofGender,ChildrenandSocial

Protection;theMinistryofJustice;theMinistryofEducationandDevelopment;andthe

MinistryofHealth.ThecurrentMAVCprojectbuildsonapilotinitiativestartedin2014inthe

twocountiesofMargibiandGrandCapeMount,wheretherewerewidespreadreportsofchild

andyouthsexualabuse.FortheperiodofJune2016toAugust2017,theProjecthasexpanded

totwoadditionalcounties:BomiandtheWestPointDistrictofMonroviainMonserrado

County. ThegoalsofCGEPexpansionareto:

• Increasecitizenawareness,attitudesandknowledgeaboutCSAthroughthe

developmentofmultiplechannelsofcommunicationsincludingradio,postersand

flyers,publicforums,andschool-basedmeetings.

• Increasecitizen-governmentengagementandcollaboration,usingmobilephoneswitha

hotlineandSMSsystem,forcitizenreportingtogovernmentofCSAcases.

• Increasethecapacityofgovernmentagencies,includinginter-Ministrycooperation,at

bothlocalandnationallevelstoreceiveandtrackreportsofCSA,throughthe

developmentanduseofagovernmentdatabasetrackingsystem.

• Reducetheincidenceofcommunityandschool-basedchildsexualabuseinthesefour

counties.

• Introduceadevelopmentalevaluationprocesswherebycitizensandgovernment

collaboratetoregularlyassessdataandinformationonprojectimplementation,and

determinewaystostrengthenprojectinterventionsthroughconsultativeforums. TheProject’sTheoryofChangeisthat(i)theuseofamulti-channelcommunicationscampaign,

(ii)joinedwiththeuseofaSMS/hotlineplatformforcitizenstoreporttogovernment,(iii)a

governmentdatabasetrackingsystem,and(iv)theprocessofregularcitizen-government

consultationontheresultsoftheseinterventions,willincreasecitizenreportingofchildsexual

abuse,improvegovernment’sresponse,andultimatelyleadtoadecreaseinchildsexualabuse.

TheProject’sTheoryofChangeandoverallevaluationframeworkisillustratedbelow(see

Figure1).

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Figure1:LiberiaGovernment-CitizenEngagementProject:ProgramTheoryofChange

1.1. TheEvaluationFramework

TheCGEPevaluationframeworkusessurveymethodologytoassesstheimpactofvarious

activitiesonchangesoverthelifeoftheproject,usingbaselineandendlinemeasurements.The

baselineandendlinesurveysinvolvedapproximately400respondentsintencommunities

selectedinthefourcountiesplus8-10keyinformantinterviews(KIIs)ineachoftheten

communitiesforatotalofapproximately90participants.

Inaddition,CGEPusesadevelopmentalevaluationapproachinwhichcollaborative,

consultativemeetingswithcitizensandgovernmenttakeplaceregularly,informedbyfindings

fromfieldresearchusingKIIsandfocusgroups.Therewerethreefeedbackloopconsultative

reviewsineachofthefourcountiesduringtheProject:(1)oneinNovember,2016drawingon

theinformationfromthebaselinesurveyandinvolvedatotalof75participants,including

governmentofficials,women’sgroupleaders,pastors,imams,marketers,countyattorneysand

media;(2)oneinJanuary/February2017drewonfielddatafromfourteenfocusgroupsand26

keyinformantinterviews;and(3)oneinMay/June2017drewonevidencefromthreefocus

groupsineachof20communities(fivecommunitiesforeachcounty),plusafocusgroupof

governmentofficialsatthecountylevel,foratotalof63focusgroupswith819participants.

Thus,thefeedbackloopprocessinvolvedcitizensandgovernmentsbothatthecommunity

level,throughthefocusgroupsandinterviews,andatthecountylevel,wherekeycountylevel

communitystakeholders,governmentofficials,andteacherscametogethertoreviewthelocal

levelinformation,toreflectonprojectstrategies,andtorecommendstepsforstrengthening

projectactivities.

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Thefinalprojectevaluationseekstoanswerthefollowingquestionsregardingtheperiodof

timespanningthebaselineassessmentinSeptember2016totheendlineassessmentinAugust

2017: i) Hastherebeenachangeincitizens’knowledgeandattitudesaboutchildsexualabuse?

Ifso,whatcontributionhastheprojectmadetothischange?

ii) Hastherebeenachangeincitizen-governmentengagementinthelevelofreporting

usingthetheSMS/Hotline?Whatfactorsinfluencethisusage? iii) WhathasbeenGovernmentresponsetocitizenreportsofCSA?

iv) IsthereevidenceonanychangeintheincidenceofCSA?Whatdocitizensbelieveabout

this? v) Whathasbeenthecontributionofthedevelopmentalevaluationusingfeedbackloops

andcollaborativeconsultation? ThisfinalTGCI-CGEPEvaluationReportwillexaminetheanswerstothesefivequestions.The

reportisorganizedinsixsections:1)theintroductiontotheProjectandtheEvaluation

Framework;2)descriptionofthemethodologiesusedinthebaselineandendlineassessments;

3)analysisofthecharacteristicsofthepopulationinthefourcounties;4)findingsfromthe

baselineandendlineassessmentsandthethreefeedbackloopsthatanswerthefivekey

questions;5)ananalysisoftheevidenceforthecontributionmadebythedevelopmental

evaluationandfeedbackloopprocess;and6)finalconclusionsandrecommendations.

2. MethodologyfortheEvaluation

2.1. Overviewofmethods

Identicalmethodologywasusedinthebaselineevaluation(September2016)andendline

evaluation(August2017)toenablevalidcomparisonsacrosstimepoints.Theonlymodification

tothesurveyinstrumentwasthattheendlineaddedanumberofretrospectivequestions(e.g.,

“whatchangeshaveyouseenoverthepastyearin…”,)whilequestionsthatdidnotyield

especiallyusefulinformationatbaselinewereomitted.

FieldworkwasconductedintencommunitiesacrossthefourcountiesofGrandCapeMount,

Bomi,Margibi,andWestPoint(Montserrado).AcorefieldteamofthreeLiberiandata

collectorsandoneLiberianteamleader,alongwithfourenumeratorspercounty(14total),

completedtheworkwiththecloseoversightofaninternationaltechnicalleadwhoreviewed

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data(uploadedfromtablets)andphotographsoffieldnotes(sentusingWhatsApp)onanightly

basis.Priortodatacollection,onedayoftrainingwasheldintheofficetogoovertabletusage,

quantitativesurveys,andqualitativeinterviews(includingpracticingmockinterviews).Oneday

wasspentineachcommunity.

Thesampledcommunities,usedbothinthebaselineandendlinesurveys,wererandomly

selectedfromalistofallTCGIscale-upinterventionsites.Eachcommunitywasstratifiedbased

onthenumberofestimatedbeneficiaries(basedoninterventionsiteschosenfortheprogram,

andtotalpopulationsofeachcorrespondingdistricts).Assuch,oursampleincludedtwo

communitieseachfromBomiandMontserrado(focusingonlyonWestPoint,anurbanslumin

thecapital),threeinMargibi,andfourinGrandCapeMount.

2.2. Quantitativemethods

Thesurveywasadministeredtoatargetof40individualspercommunity(withquotastoreach

50%malesand50%females;25%childrenaged13-171).Respondentswerechosenrandomly,

using2-stageclustersamplingwhereclusteronewasthehouseholdandclustertwowasthe

personwithinthehousehold.Householdswererandomlyselectedbyfirst,visitingthevillage

chiefandaskingwhatthetotalnumberofhouseholdswasinthecommunity,andgettingan

ideaastotheboundariesofthecommunity.Then,asamplinginterval(n)wascalculatedusing

theequation:n=(totalnumberofhouseholds/40).Theteamwenttothemiddleofthevillage,

spunabottle,andbeganwalkinginthatdirection,selectingeverynthhousealongthewalk.

Whenaboundarywasreached,theteamreturnedtothecenterandrepeatedtheprocessuntil

40houseswereselected.Withineachhousehold,theadultoffirstcontactwasaskedtolistall

familymembersinthehouse,theneachwasnumberedandanumberwasrandomlyselected

fromahattoselecttherespondent).Teamalternatedineachhousebetweenlistingmalesor

femalesonly,andforeveryfourthhousetheylistedchildrenaged13-17only.

Toachieveaconfidencelevelof95%andaconfidenceintervalof+/-5%,wedecidedtosample

atotalof400citizens.Thetotalnumberofindividualswhowillbeprovidedwithservicesbythe

projectwasnotcertain,giventhatsecondaryreachisanticipated.Thereforeweoverestimated

thatthebeneficiarypopulationis500,000persons,inordertodetermineamaximumneeded

samplesize.Usingtheabovecriteria(95%with+/-5%confidenceinterval),thetotalsample

sizewas384persons.2Allowingforrejectedquestionnaires(assuming4-5%ofquestionnaires whichisagenerousoverestimategivenwewilluseelectronicdataentrydevicesthatminimize

1Throughoutthisreportwerefertoanyoneaged13-17asa‘child.’Werecognizethatolderchildrenmayalsobereferredtoas

‘youngeryouth,’sotheword‘child’couldbemisleadingsincethewordcouldalsorefertothosemuchyounger.However,we

theword‘child’throughoutthereportinsteadbecauseitreflectstherealityoftheLiberianlaw–thatthosewhoareunderthe

ageof18areconsideredchildren.Thus,wheneveranyoneundertheageof18iisthevictimofanyformofabuse,itis

consideredtobe‘childabuse’.Theissueathand,also,is‘childrape’,whichreferstotherapeofanyoneundertheageof18.2Thesamplesize--thenumberofpersonsfromeachtargetgroupofinterestwhowillbecontacted--isbasedonthe

calculationoftheacceptablemarginoferroras%,therateofchangeofvarianceoftheestimateas%,andtheconfidence

range.Thefollowingcriteriaareused,whicharetypicalforsocialscienceresearchofthisnature:Marginoferror(D)=5.0%;

Rateofchangeofvariance(R)=50%;Confidencelevel=95%withinthemarginoferror.

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routinganddataentryerrors),400wasthefinalnumber.Byselectingcommunitiesrandomly

fromthesamplingframeofallcommunitiesthatwillreceivetheintervention,andrandomly

selectingindividualswithincommunitiesandhouseholds,weensuredthatthesampleis

representativeofourentirebeneficiarypopulationwith95%confidenceanda+/-5%interval.

Thetotalsamplesizeimpactsthedegreetowhichweareabletoconcludethatanobserved

changeovertimeisstatisticallysignificantornot.Asageneralrule,thelargerthesamplesize,

thesmallerthechangethatisabletobedetected.Forthepopulationasawhole,weshouldbe

abletodetectstatisticallysignificantchangesofjustafewpercent;forsubgroups,though,only

largerchangesaredetectable.Itisimportanttonotethatthisdoesnotmeanthattherewas

notachange,butratherthatitwasnotdetectable.

Allquantitativeinterviewswereconductedbythecounty-levelfieldteam,andwere

anonymousatbothbaselineandendline.Wedidnottrackourbeneficiarieslongitudinallyfora

fewreasons:(1)Inordertoensurethatourparticipantsareasforthrightandcomfortable

talkingtousaspossible,wecollectedonlytheirfirstnamesandrecordednootheridentifying

information.Then,wewereabletomakeverycleartothemthatwewillinnowayattribute

theirresponsestotheyasindividuals-onlythecommunitylevel.Inourexperienceconducting

researchinLiberia,thisreallyopensupconversation,particularlyindealingwithsensitive

issues;(2)ItisquitedifficulttotrackpeoplelongitudinallyinLiberiagiventhehighrateof

mobility,soitwouldaddasubstantialamountoftimeandefforttoourresearch/learning

tasks;and(3)Withthequantitativeresearch,wesampledrandomlysuchthatwecouldcapture

arepresentativesampleofbeneficiariesintheregionsweareworkingin.Whilesomeofour

qualitativesamplewasindeedpurposive,wesoughttoselectparticipantswhorepresentedas

broadlyaspossiblethetypesofpeopleinthosecommunities(e.g.,socioeconomicstatus,age,

ethnicity,gender,jobtype,levelofeducation).

2.3. Qualitativemethods Thequalitativeinterviews,referredtoaskeyinformantinterviews(KIIs),wereledduringthe

baselineandendlinesurveysbythecorefieldteaminthefirstlanguageoftherespondent.The

sampleincluded8-10personsineachcommunityforatargetedtotalof80–100interviews.

Interviewswereconductedwithchildren,adults,schoolteachers/staff,governmentministries,

andotherkeystakeholdersinvolvedincitizenengagementand/orchildwelfaregender-based

violencereportingandresolutionmechanisms.Eachinterviewlastedapproximately30minutes

andwasguidedbyapre-developedguidethatwasspecifictoeachtypeofinterviewee:child

communitymember,adultcommunitymember,governmentofficial,communitystakeholder,

andteacher/schoolstaff.Respondentswereselectedbasedonpurposivesamplingofthose

whowouldhaveuniqueinsightintotheissuesathand;childandadultcommunitymembers

wereselectedafterthequantitativesurveybecausetheywereparticularlyvocalorengaged

withtheissues.Thekindsofprobingquestionsforeachinterviewwerelinkedtoproject

outcomes(seeAnnexforinterviewprotocol).Moremalesthanfemaleswereinterviewedin

generalbecausetheytendedtobethosewhoweretheministry/stakeholderrepresentativesin

thecommunitiesaswellastheschoolteachers/staff.Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryof

theKIIswhosevoicesarerepresentedinthebaselineandendline.TheAnnexprovidesalisting

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ofallKIIs(namesandlocationsredacted),includingtheroleintheirorganization(forleaders

andstakeholders)andtheirjobtype(fornon-students).

Table1:KIIsConducted,byTypeandGender

CategoryofKey

Informant

BASELINE ENDLINE

Female Male Total Female Male Total

Adult 13 6 19 8 11 19

Child 10 9 19 10 9 19

Ministry/Stakeholders 12 38 50 14 26 41

Teachers/SchoolStaff 3 7 10 2 7 10

TOTAL 38 60 98 34 53 89

2.4. Developmentalevaluation:Feedbackloopsandcollaborativereview

AdistinguishingfeatureofthedevelopmentalevaluationusedintheProjectwastheuseof

regularandfrequentcollaborativereviewsofprojectoutcomeindicatorsbyvariouscitizenand

governmentstakeholders.Thesecollaborationsarereferredtoasfeedbackloops.Intraditional

systems,projectstaffandsponsoringorganizationsaretypicallythemain,oronly,usersof

informationanddatathattraditionallyfocusesoninputs,activities,andoutputsratherthan

projectoutcomes(results).Incontrast,indevelopmentalevaluationandadaptive

management,regularrevieweffortsfocusonoutcomesandengagecollaboratorsthrougha

consultativeprocess.Twokindsofinformationareusedtoanalyzeprogresstowardsresults:(1)

explicitdatagatheredwithsystematicmethodsandinstruments,and(2)tacitorimplicit

informationthatstakeholdersbringtotheProject.Theseinsightshelptheprojecttogatherand

analyzeongoinginformationtodecidewhethertocontinuetheexistingcourse,createnew

strategies,ormodifyexistingpractices.

Inthisproject,threecollaborativecyclesofstakeholderconsultationstookplacethroughthe

useoffeedbackloops.ThesealltookplacewithinthefourcountiespilotingtheTGCIhotline

andSMSsystem(Bomi,Montserrado,Margibi,andCapeMount).

• Loop1(November2016):StakeholderConsultativeGroupmeetings,drawingonthe

evidencefromthebaseline,reflectedoninformationfrom75participantsinterviews

withgovernmentofficials,women’sgroupleaders,pastor,imams,marketers,county

attorneys,andmedia.

• Loop2(January/February2017):StakeholderConsultativeGroupsforeachcounty

reviewedevidencefromfourteenfocusgroupsand26keyinformantinterviews

conductedacrosscitizens,teachers,policeofficers,socialworkers,governmentofficials,

andjudiciarymembers.

• Loop3(May/June2017):StakeholderConsultativeGroupsforeachcountyreviewed

evidencefromfocusgroupsin20communities.Fivecommunitieswereselectedwithin

eachofthefourcounties.Ineachcommunity,threefocusgroupswereconducted:one

withcommunitymembers,onewithboys(rangingbetweenages12-17),andonewith

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girls(inthesameagerange).Inaddition,ineachcountytherewasonefocusgroupwith

ministryofficials.Thisledto63totalfocusgroups(oneadultgroupwasnotconducted),

involvingatotalof819stakeholders.

3. CharacteristicsofthePopulation Forthequantitativesurveys,therespondentgroupsattheendlinearenotdemographically

different(anymeasureddifferenceswerenotstatisticallysignificant)fromthoseatbaseline.

Thiscomparabilityindicatessuccessfulrandomsamplingofrespondents,andmeansthatthe

populationcharacteristics,suchasage,education,occupation(ofhouseholdhead),household

size,levelsofliteracy,andreligionareessentiallythesameforthesampleatthebaselineand

endline.Inthissection,wewillnotexamineparticipants’knowledge,attitudesandviewsabout

childsexualabuse.Instead,wewilldescribethosecharacteristicsonwhichtheProjectwould

havenoinfluence.Inthisdescriptionofthesamplecharacteristics,wewillonlyreportthe

endlinedata,exceptinthosefewcaseswheretherewerestatisticallydifferentcharacteristics.

Therewereatotalof403respondentsinthebaselinesurvey,and380attheendline.The

endlinerespondentswerenearlyequallydistributedbetweenmales(n=186)andfemales

(n=194),andcommunities(around40participantsineach).Wetargeted25%childrenineach

community,andaimedforaroughlyequaldistributionofyoungeradults(age18-35)andolder

adults(36-65)fortheremaining75%.Thetablebelowsummarizesthetotaldistributionof

participantsbygenderandagegroup.Mostofthedatainthisreport(andtheAnnex)are

disaggregated,ataminimum,bygenderandagegroup.Thetotalnvaluesforeachquestion

shouldbeassumedtobeexactlyaspresentedbelow,orveryclose(skippedorrefused

responseswereveryrare).Assuch,forreadability,wedonotreportnvaluesexceptwhenn

valuesaresignificantlydifferentfrombelow(forexample,whensurveyroutingwas‘if

answeredX,skiptoY’).

Table2:SurveyRespondentsbyAgeGroupandCommunity/County

Female Male Total

13-17 48 63 111

18-35 74 71 145

35-65 72 52 124

Total 194 186 380

Respondentsaveraged29.0yearsold(females30.3andmales27.7);femalechildrenwere

slightlyolder(15.8years)thanmalechildren(15.3years).Themeanhouseholdsizeacrossall

communitieswas7.8persons(3.7adultsaged18-65and3.4childrenaged13-17),withlarger

householdsinGrandCapeMount(8.3persons)andsmallerhouseholdsinMargibi(7.4

persons).Themainhouseholdincomegeneratingactivitiesforthemainincomeearnerofthe

household(nottherespondent)acrossallcountieswereowningabusiness(43.0%),farming

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(20.1%),professionalsalariedemployment(10.9%),andskilledservices(10.9%).Businesswas

significantlymorecommoninurbanMontserrado(64.2%)thaninBomi(32.9%),GrandCape

Mount(32.3%),andMargibi(46.3%).InruralBomiandGrandCapeMount,farmingwasfar

morecommon(34.3%and42.3%,respectively),whileinMargibi,therewasasignificantly

higherproportionofprofessionals(23.1%).

Mostadults,bothmaleandfemale,areeithercohabitingwithaboyfriend/girlfriend(not

married),orareinamonogamoustraditionalmarriage.Farmoreoftenyoungeradultsare

cohabitingandunmarried(22%)thanolderadults(8.6%),whotendmoreoftentobeina

traditionalmarriage(25.7%).Amongchildren,themajorityaresingle(97.4%),thoughmostof

theremainderareinarelationshipandnotlivingtogether(1.8%),especiallyfemales.

Educationalattainmentvariedsignificantlybetweenmaleandfemaleadults(age18+),asitdid

atbaseline,with25.3%ofadultfemaleshavingnoeducationatallversus9.6%ofmales.The

medianeducationlevelforadultfemaleswas‘somejuniorhigh’comparedto‘somehigh

school’formen.Amongchildren(age13-17),themedianeducationlevelformaleswassome

JuniorHigh,whileforfemalesitwasCompletedPrimary.Whileitisimportanttoremember

thatdespitefemalesbeinghalfayearolderthanmales,theystillhadlowereducational

attainmentthanboysbythetimetheyreachedage16(whereasbeforethatage,theywere

similarinattainment).Thissuggeststhatgirlstendtofallbehindordropoutaroundthatage–

notasurprisingfindingintheLiberiancontextgiventhehighprevalenceofteenagepregnancy,

andthedifficulttransitionfromJuniorHightoHighSchool.

Table3:EducationalAttainmentforAdults(age18+)byGender

Attainment Female Male Total

Neverattended 25.3% 9.8% 18.2%

Someprimary 7.5% 7.3% 7.4%

CompletedPrimary 3.4% 2.4% 3.0%

SomeJrHigh 11.0% 10.6% 10.8%

CompletedJrHigh 5.5% 8.9% 7.1%

SomeHighSchool 9.6% 17.9% 13.4%

CompletedHighSchool 23.3% 22.0% 22.7%

SomeUniversity 11.6% 16.3% 13.8%

CompletedUniversity 2.7% 4.9% 3.7%

Table4:EducationalAttainmentforChildren(age13-17)byGender

Attainment Female Male Total

Neverattended 6.3% 6.3% 6.3%

Someprimary 41.7% 42.9% 42.3%

CompletedPrimary 12.5% 11.1% 11.7%

SomeJrHigh 18.8% 25.4% 22.5%

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CompletedJrHigh 4.2% 9.5% 7.2%

SomeHighSchool 14.6% 4.8% 9.0%

CompletedHighSchool 2.1% 0.0% 0.9%

Overall,femalesweremuchmorelikelytolackbothnumeracyandliteracyskills(24.7%)versus

males(11.8%).Thiswascommonacrossallagegroups,butmostsignificantamongstolder

adults(36-65),asdepictedinthetablebelow.Youngerpeople(13-35)weremorelikelytohave

mathand/orreadingskillsthanolderadults(35-65).Overall,respondentsattheendlinewere

significantlymorelikelytohavebothreadingandnumeracyskills(70.0%)ascomparedtothe

baseline(60%);thiswasparticularlytrueamongtheyoungeradultsgroup(81.4%atendlinevs.

65.8%atbaseline)andolderadultsgroup(54.8%atendlinevs.46.0%atbaseline).Children’s

literacyandnumeracyskillswerethesameatbothbaselineandendline:

Table5:LiteracyandNumeracy,byGenderandAgeGroup

Neither Mathonly

Read

only Yesboth

13-17 8.1% 3.6% 16.2% 72.1%

Female 8.3% 2.1% 20.8% 68.8%

Male 7.9% 4.8% 12.7% 74.6%

18-35 11.7% 0.7% 6.2% 81.4%

Female 13.5% 0.0% 9.5% 77.0%

Male 9.9% 1.4% 2.8% 85.9%

35-65 36.3% 1.6% 7.3% 54.8%

Female 47.2% 1.4% 9.7% 41.7%

Male 21.2% 1.9% 3.8% 73.1%

FemaleTotal 24.7% 1.0% 12.4% 61.9%

MaleTotal 12.4% 2.7% 6.5% 78.5%

Total 18.7% 1.8% 9.5% 70.0%

ThereisaroughlyequaldistributionofMuslims(35.3%)andChristians(60.5%),whichisnot

typicalforLiberiaasawholewhereMuslimsareanestimated12%ofthepopulation.However,

thisregionofLiberia,particularlyGrandCapeMount,tendstohaveamuchhigherproportion

ofMuslims.AmongtheChristians,themajorityareEvangelical/Pentecostal(38.4%),or

ChristianCatholic(9.7%);theremainderareChristianMainlineProtestantor‘Other’Christian

(e.g.SDA,JehovahWitness,Mormon).Only2.1%classifythemselvesas‘other,’whichgenerally

meansAfricantraditionalreligions.

4. Findings ThefindingsfromthebaselineandendlinesurveysandKIIs,aswellasfromthefeedbackloops

arepresentedforeachofthefivekeyquestionsofthefinalevaluation:

13

i) Hastherebeenachangeincitizens’knowledgeandattitudesaboutchildsexualabuse?

Ifso,whatcontributionhastheprojectmadetothischange?

ii) Hastherebeenachangeincitizen-governmentengagementinthelevelofreporting

usingthetheSMS/Hotline?Whatfactorsinfluencethisusage?

iii) WhathasbeenGovernmentresponsetocitizenreportsofCSA?

iv) IsthereevidenceonanychangeintheincidenceofCSA?Whatdocitizensbelieveabout

this?

v) Whathasbeenthecontributionofthedevelopmentalevaluationusingfeedbackloops

andcollaborativeconsultation?

Theevaluationseekstofindwhether,overtheoneyearperiodfromthebaselinesurveyin

September2016totheendlinesurveyinAugust2017,thereisevidenceofasignificantchange

incitizen’sknowledgeandattitudesaboutchildsexualabuse;intheuseofthehotlineandSMS

toreportcasesofCSA;ingovernment’sresponsetocitizenreporting;andintheincidenceof

CSA.Finally,ouranalysisfocusesonthecontributionofthedevelopmentevaluationapproach

usedforthemanagementoftheProject.

Itshouldbepointedoutattheoutsetthatsuchchangesarecomplex,andthesocio-cultural

relationshipsthatshapeindividualandcollectiveattitudesandbehavioraredeeplyrooted.Itis

thusunrealistictoexpectthatasingleprojectoveroneyearshouldseedramaticchangesin

attitudesandbehaviorrelatedtoCSAfromitsevaluation.TheProjectwasnotdesignedwitha

rigorousresearchdesign,whichwouldrequireaplausible(andideallyrandomizedassignment)

counterfactual.Moreproblematic,therearetwosimultaneousforcesatworkinattemptingto

assesswhetherthanhasactuallybeenanyreductionoftheincidenceofchildsexualabuse.On

onehand,theprojectseekstoincreaseknowledge,awareness,andmechanismsforincreasing

reportingofincidentsofCSA.Thus,ifthiselementoftheProjectissuccessful,weshouldseean

increaseincasesreported.Ontheotherhand,theincreasedcitizenawarenessofthe

perniciouseffectsandthesocialcondemnationofCSAcombinedwiththeincreasedexposure

ofperpetratorstoarrestandconvictionshouldcontributetoadecreaseintheincidenceof

CSA.WhichofthesetwoforceswouldbethestrongestovertheoneyearperiodoftheProject

evaluation?WhilethequantitativedatafromthesurveysandfromtheGovernmentdatabase

onCSAreportsprovideusefulinformationonreporting,arrests,trialsandconvictions,the

qualitativedatafromtheKIIsandthefeedbackloopsprovideusefulinsightsontheseforces

fromcitizensandstakeholders.Asaresult,weuseallofthesesourcesofevidencetoanswer

thekeyquestions.

4.1. Hastherebeenachangeincitizens’knowledgeandawarenessofchildsexualabuse?Ifso,whatcontributionhastheprojectmadetothischange?

AkeyactivityoftheCitizen-GovernmentEngagementProjecthasbeentousemultiplechannels

ofinformationtoraiseknowledge,awarenessandtostrengthencitizencondemnationofchild

sexualabuse.ThroughcontractswithnineRadiostations,theproductionandwidedistribution

14

offlyersandposters(seeanexampleofaProjectposterinAnnex1),andthesponsoringof

forumsandeducationaleventsincommunitiesandschools,theProjecthascontributedtothe

widespreadpubliccondemnationofCSA.

However,itisdifficulttoattributeanychangesoverthelastyearincitizenknowledgeand

awarenesstoCGEP,sincethereareseveralotherNGOandgovernmentcommunication

initiativesinthisfield.

Withthatqualificationinmind,thefollowingarethefindingsfromthebaselineandendline

surveys,supportedwithinsightsfromtheKIIsandfeedbackloopconsultations.

4.1.1. Attitudestowardschildsexualabuse

Thequantitativeandqualitativedatainboththebaselineandendlineindicatethatchildsexual

abuseiswidelyconsideredtobewrongineverycase.Manypeopleattributethistothe

sensitizationtheyhavereceivedthroughavarietyofmeansincludingradio,workshops,

banners,andwordofmouth.ExplicitattitudestoCSAinthequantitativesurveyshowedthat

almostnoneoftherespondentsindicatedthatitwaseitheralwaysorsometimesOKfora

persontocommitanyactofsexualharassmentorabuseuponamaleorfemalechild,

summarizedinthetablebelow. Table6:ExplicitPerceptionsofGBVStatedas“NeverOkay”

Baseline Endline

Touchedaboyonhisprivatepartswhenhedidn'twantit 99.5% 97.5%

Touchedagirlonherprivatepartswhenshedidn'twantit 99.0% 97.3%*

Ateacherorschoolstaffaskedaboyforsextogetabettergrade 100.0% 97.5%

Ateacherorschoolstaffaskedagirlforsextogetabettergrade? 99.8% 97.3%

Apersonaskedaboyforsexinexchangeformoneyorothermaterialgoods(food,

schooluniform)? 99.5%

97.5%

Apersonaskedagirlforsexinexchangeformoneyorothermaterialgoods(food,

schooluniform)? 98.8%

97.3%*

Apersonthreatenstohurtaboybecauseherefusedtohavesex 100.0% 97.3%

Apersonthreatenstohurtagirlbecausesherefusedtohavesex 100.0% 97.3%

Apersonforcedaboytohavesexwhenhedidn'twantto? 99.8% 97.6%

Apersonforcedagirltohavesexwhenshedidn'twantto? 100.0% 97.3%

Asterisk(*)indicatesthechangeisnotstatisticallysignificant

DuringtheKIIs,participantswereaskedtodefinethetermchildsexualabuse.Largely,child

sexualabusewasstatedassexualactsbetweenadultsandchildren(undertheageof17),

includingthosethatresultedinchildhoodmarriageorteenagepregnancy.Theserangedacross

forcibleacts(e.g.,rape)toactswhereconsentcouldnotbegivenduetothechildren’sageor

circumstance(asonefemalestakeholderinBehTowndescribedit,regardless“whetherthechildagreesornot”).Actsofunwantedphysicalcontactsuchaskissingortouchingingenital

15

areaswasalsoincluded.Coercion,thoughnotexplicitlystatedassuch,wasrootedintheways

that“peopleinfluencechildrentosleepwiththemformaterialreasons,”suchasmoneyorjobs,

ortheuseofalcoholordrugstoimpairresistance.Whileinsomecasesonlygirlswereexplicitly

mentioned,mostparticipantsusedthetermchildrentoacknowledgethatthisabusecould

happenacrossgenders.

Inthequantitativesurvey,respondentswereaskedaseriesofsixteenquestionstoassesstheir

attitudestosexualandgenderbasedviolence(SGBV).Lookingattheindividualquestions,there

weresomeareasthatshowedastatisticallysignificantshifttowardsgreaterunfavorable

attitudes. Table7:IndividualPerceptionsofGBV:Percentageofsurveyrespondentsthatagreedwithstatement.

Statement Baseline Endline

1.Sometimegirlsdothingsthatmakesexualviolenceandabusehappen 89.8% 83.0%

2.Menandboyssometimeshaveagoodreasontouseviolenceagainstgirls. 31.2% 10.4%

3.Usingalcoholcancausesexualviolenceandabuseofgirls. 74.8% 98.9%

4.Sexualabuseandviolenceagainstwomenandgirlsisanaturalexpressionofmalesexual

urges.22.8%

15.4%

5.Ifsexualabuseorviolenceisreportedtothevillagechiefheorshemustdecidewhois

rightorwrong.Wehaveourtraditionallawsanddonotneedthepoliceorcourts.

8.5%

14.7%

6.Sexualviolencebringsshametothewholefamilyofthepersonwhocommittedthe

violence.89.5%

97.9%

7.Rapebringsshametothewholefamilyofthepersonwhoexperiencedsexualviolence. 89.8% 99.2%

8.Touchingagirl’sbreastorhittingherbutthelpsherdevelopphysically. 27.7% 2.8%

9.Achildstudenthavingsexwithateacherwillhelpthestudentandhis/herfamily. 1.3% 0.3%*

10.Menandboysaresuperiortowomenandgirls. 39.7% 32.8%

11.Adultswhohavesexwithchildrencauselong-termemotionalharmtochildren 97.5% 92.4%

12.SexualactivitybetweenadultsandchildrenisneverOK,nomatterwhat 80.3% 95.5%

13.Womenrefusingtohavesexwithpartnersisareasonmenseektohavesexwith

children16.8%

35.5%

14.Insomefamilies,sexbetweenadultsandchildrenisconsiderednormal 71.6% 50.0%

15.Trustedadults(teachers,priests,coaches,etc.)aremorelikelythanstrangerstosexually

abusechildren

63.9% 78.5%

16.Girlsdrawmen'ssexualattentionbythewaytheydress. 93.3% 85.8%


TheTable8belowprovidestheindexedscoresonthisassessmentofcitizenattitudes,where

higherscoresindicatethepercentageofrespondentsthataremoreopposedtoSGBVattitudes.

ThereisasignificantincreaseintheaverageattitudesopposingSGBVatendlineamongfemale

adults,whereasthereisvirtuallynochangeinmen’sattitudes.

16

Table8:SummaryofGBVAttitudes,byGenderandAgeGroup(Higher%indicatesstrongerattitudesagainstGBV)

Baseline Endline

AgeGroup Female Male Total Female Male Total

13-17 46% 44% 45% 48%* 43%* 45%*

18-35 40% 48% 43% 54% 51%* 52%

35-65 44% 51% 48% 55% 49%* 52%*

Total 43% 48% 45% 53% 48%* 50%*


Inqualitativeinterviews,manyofthedetrimentalviewsmanifestedthewaysinwhichchildren

weretaughttomonitortheirclothingortospecificallyavoidbadpeople.AwomaninJoseph

Townnoted,

“Theparentshavebeentoldtoadvisetheirchildrentobeverycarefulabouthowtheyinteractwithmenandboysinthetownandevenoutofthetown.Forinstance,Ipersonallytalktobothmygirlsandboystobeonthealertofbadpeopleinthecommunity.We(myhusbandandI)alsoexplaintothemallaboutrapeandtheconsequencesofbeingraped.”

AgirlinWestPointaddedtothislistbysharingthatchildrenwereinformedthat,“Weshouldnotgotobadplaceswheremenare.Weshouldnotwearshortclothesbeforemen.”Thesedetrimentalattitudesechoedtheconcernsthatmanifestedinthebaselineinwhichgirlswere

blamedforsexualassaultbytheirclothingchoices,proximitytomen,orplay.Atthesametime,

therewassomeprogressinthesedetrimentalattitudes.Comparedtothebaseline,inwhich

severalparticipantsexpressedtheconcernthatgirlsmightfabricateclaimsofrapetoextort

men,nosuchconcernsexpressedintheendline.Theevolutionofideasexpressedin

conjunctionwiththeprevalenceofsensitizingmessagessuggeststhatindividualsmaybe

gainingcriticalawarenessaboutsexualassaultanditsrealitieswithinthecommunity.

Suchgrowthwasalsoseeninparticipants’attitudesagainstSGBV,exemplifiedbymeetingsand

communityeventsthatemphasizedthat“realmendon’trape.”Mostprevalently,these

attitudeswereexpressedinthewaysinwhichparticipantsdefinedchildsexualabuse.

Repeatedly,participantsacrossrolesnotedthatchildrencouldnotconsenttosexual

relationshipswithanadultandthatcoerciverelationshipswereabusive.Afemalestakeholder

inWestPointdescribedthisas“manychildrenareinfluencedbyoldermenorfishermenwhomakemoney.Whenthechildrenareabused,theseguysprovidesomemoneytotheparenttokeepquiet.”

4.1.2. Perceiveddangerstochildrenincommunities

Atthebaselineandendlinesurveys,respondentswereaskedtoidentifythemostseriousissues

thatposeddangerstothehealthandwelfareofchildren.Thisquestionsoughttounderstandif

therewerechangesincitizens’perceptionsofthethreatposedbychildsexualabuse(rape)and

17

childsexualharassment.Table9showsthefourhighestrateddangerstowardchildren

alongsidethelowerratingontherelativedangersofchildsexualharassmentandchildrape.

Table9:Dangerstochildrenincommunity

TypeofDanger

Baseline

n=402

Endline

n=380

Teenagepregnancy 55% 66%

Basicneedsnotmet:food,shelter,clothing 55% 11%

Stealing 47% 45%*

Prostitution 30% 10%

Childsexualharassment 18% 27%

Childsexualabuse(rape) 18% 13%*


Itisinterestingthatthereisadeclineinthe(non-statisticallysignificant)percentageofthose

whoseechildrapeasaseriousdanger,whilethereisanincreaseinthosewhoseechildsexual

harassmentasadanger.ThismayreflecttheimpactoftheProject’scommunicationsand

forums,resultingincitizens’perceptionsthatGovernmentisbetterabletoapprehendand

arrestchildrapeperpetrators.

Intheendlineinterviews,concernsaboutthedangersfacingchildrenechoedandamplified

thesecategories.Althoughtheendlinedidrevealasharpdeclineinthedangersrelatedto

unmetbasicneeds(thismayreflectLiberia’spost-wareconomicrecovery),lackofclean

drinkingwaterandaccesstosanitaryplumbingwerefrequentlymentioned.Inaddition,

participantsroutinelysharedthatmanyparentsintheircommunitieslackedthefinancial

resourcestosupportchildren,insteadrelyingonchildlabortohelpsupporttheirfamily.These

formsoflaborrangedacrossfarming,sellinginmarketplaces,washingcars,and,specificallyin

thecaseofDolo’sTown,workingonthenearbyrubberplantation.Inmoreseverecases,

childrensolddrugsorengagedinprostitutiontoearnmoney.Asonefemalestakeholderin

Tienistated,“Childrenarealsobeingusedasbreadwinnersforparents,soasaresulttheyfallvictimtomanyformsofviolenceand[have]theirwellbeingalsoatrisk.”Thefeedbackloopsandendlineinterviewsindicateabroadersensethatthelargerangeof

dangerspresentcontributedtoacultureinwhichchildrenwerehighlyvulnerabletothe

possibilityofrapeandharassment.Thisconcernparticularlyappliedtochildrenwhowere

orphans,prevalentintheaftermathoftheEbolaoutbreak,orleftwithoutparentalsupervision.

AsamalestakeholderinUnificationTownnoted:

“Parentsdon’tspendtimewiththeirchildren.Theyleaveearlyinthemorningandcomebacklateatnight.Childreenarebeingtrainedbythemselveswithnoparentalcare.Parentsarebusylookingforajobtogenerateincomefortheirfamilywhilethechildrenareleftalonewithoutguidance.”

Thesesituationsamplifiedpowerimbalances,athemethatarosethroughoutthediscussionof

genderbasedviolenceaschildrenwereattimescoercedintosexualactstoearnmoneyor

18

resources.AsamalestakeholderinUnificationTownnoted,“Thecommunityissufferingfrompoverty,thereforemostofthegirlsareabusedbymentogetmoney.”Theendlineanalysisbuildsuponfindingsthroughoutthepilotthathighlightthisvulnerability.

Thebaselineanalysishighlightedtheprevalenceofprostitutionamongstgirlstosupporttheir

familiesorindividualsthatwereabandonedbytheirfamilies.Inthefeedbackloops,particularly

thethirdcycle,participantsnotedthewaysinwhichchildsexualabusetrappedgirlsinan

exploitivecycle.Girlsexperiencedsexualabuseandthenwereblamedforcausingtheviolence

throughtheirbehavior(e.g.,dress,actions,location).Victimsreceivedfewresources,including

transportationtothecourtormedicalcare,andwereoftensociallyostracizedwhentheabuse

wasknownpublicly.Theendlinedatafurtherilluminatedthiscyclebyaddingthewaysinwhich

moneyperpetuatedsuchviolence,notingthatgirlswereoftencoercedintosexualactivitydue

topovertyandcouldbetrappedincyclesofpovertybyresultingpregnancy.

4.1.3. ImpactofmultiplechannelsofcommunicationonCSA

ThequalitativedatagatheredthroughtheendlineKIIsandinthefeedbackloopsrevealedthat

messagesaboutstoppingandpreventingchildsexualabusewerewidespread.Formsof

communicationincludedposters,flyers,andradioprograms,includingadramainwhichuseof

thehotlinewasactedout.Activeformsofeducationinvolvedmultipleawarenessprograms

spanningschoolsandcommunitymeetingssponsoredbyTGCI,theMinistryofGenderand

Children,andNGOssuchasSavetheChildren,theRedCrossandPlanLiberia.These

organizationsimplementednumerousmeasurestosensitizeindividualstochildsexualassault

andtoilluminateprocessesforreporting.Thesetrainingswereoftenalreadyinplaceduringthe

baselineevaluation,andformedpartofaperceptionthatawarenessofandenforcement

againstchildsexualabusewasontheriseinLiberia.Thus,individualsmayhavedeveloped

moreawarenessofinstancesofchildsexualassaultacrossthedurationoftheCGEPevenas

theyperceivedtheoverallclimateofviolencetobedecreasing.AgirlinBehTownnoted:“Childsexualabuseisnotpracticedherethatmuchbecauseofthelevelofsensitizationprogramsthenationalgovernmentputinplace.So,becauseofthis,peopleareafraidtogetinvolvedwiththeseacts.”

OneadultmaleinTienidescribedtheseeffortsas“relentless”duetotheirwidespreadprevalence.Largely,thesemessageswereseentohaveapositiveimpactonindividualsby

illuminatingissues,providingresourcesandinformation,andexplainingthereportingprocess.

AfemalestakeholderinTienewomansharedthat,

Childsexualabusehasbeenprevalentforthreeyears,butnowarelesseningwiththeawarenessandeducationthroughtheGenderMinistryandrelatedNGO,CSO,andINGOs.Peoplearegettingtoseethedangerofchildsexualabuseandthechallengeitposestothecommunity’swellbeing.

19

Inthisway,outreacheffortsalsohelpedtocreatecommunitynormsagainstchildsexualabuse.

Forindividuals,theinformationalsohelpedprovideaformofempowermenttochallenge

violenceinthecommunity.AsonemaninDolo’sTownmentioned,“alloftheworkshops,stakeholders’meetingandtheawarenessonchildsexualabusehasgivenmethezesttodomorebyreportinganycaseinvolvingchildrape.”Severalparticipantssharedthattheyusedtheinformationtheylearnedinmeetingstosharewithothersinthecommunitytoencourage

reporting.Whilemostparticipantssawtheseforumsaseffective,therewereafewoutliersthat

expressedtheideathatmeetingsoftentargetedthoseindividualsalreadyvigilanttostopping

childsexualabuse.AsamaninUnificationTownstated,“Iwouldsaymostpeopleattendingtheseworkshopsandtraining[arethe]onlyfewwhoarewillingtohelpsocietyindealingwiththesituationasothersdon’tseeitasnecessary.”Anadditionaldrawbackwasthattheseawarenesseffortscouldbeseenasdisconnectedfromdailylife,asoneindividualdescribed

thatatmeetings“welearnalot,butpeoplegohomeandforget.”

4.1.4. School-basedawarenessprogramsonCSA

AcrosstheProjectcommunities,schoolsweredominantsitesthatspreadthesemessagesto

childrenandteachers,andprovidedthemwithinformationonhowtostopandreportchild

sexualabuse.Asnotedinthebaseline,thesemessagesweresharedonposters/brochures,in

schoolclubs,inworkshops,andduringschool-widedramas.OnestakeholderfromDolo’sTown

sharedthathisgroup“workedinschoolsespecially,becausethereyouseethebulkofthecommunitypopulation,especiallytheyouthfulones.”Studentscouldbeempoweredtoaddress

sexualassault,suchasanexamplenotedbyaboyinUnificationTown:“Inourschoolwehaveagroup(WatchDog)monitoringteacherandstudentsinteractionandreportingtotheheadmaster.Thisgroupiseffectiveinmakingsurestudentsinterestareprotectedandreportedtimely.”However,schoolscouldalsobeproblematicbecausemanyperpetratorswereteachers.

OnegirlinUnificationTownsharedthatmostpregnantgirlswereassaultedatschool,whilea

stakeholderinthesamecommunitysharedanexampleofagirlwhowasrapedbyaprincipal,

whothencompromisedthecasebypayingherschoolfees.Thisdangerwasconsistent

throughouttheProgram,asafocusgroupinthesecondfeedbackloopsharedthat“wehavealsoconductedawarenessamongstudents,teachersandschoolprincipal.Tellingthemthatrapeisnotgoodand[ifa]teacherisinvolved,itisacrimethatcan’tbecompromised.”Schoolscouldhelptospreadawarenessandknowledgeofreportingsystems,butalsoinvolvedriskas

sitesofpotentialabuseandunequalpowerdynamics.

4.1.5. Persistenceoftraditionalattitudesandpractices

Regardlessoftheevidencethatthereisagreaterawarenessandknowledgeaboutchildsexual

assault,theKIIsandfeedbackloopsindicatethatsomeindividualscontinuetooverlookCSA

casesduetotheculturalnorms,illustratingareaswheresensitizationeffortshavefallenshort.

Forexample,amalestakeholderinTienisharedduringthebaseline:

“Peopleheredon'tseerapeasanissue…Islamisoneofthemajorreligionshere,theyusuallydon'tobeytherequisitelawsformarriage.Whenachildreachespubertytheyarrangeformarriage.Sometimesasyoungas12,13,14-yearoldchildrenarewivesinthiscommunity.”

20

Attheendlinesurvey,awomaninTienenotedaremarkablysimilarsentiment:“Thetraditionheredoesn’tseeearlychildmarriageasaproblem.MostoftheolderMuslimmenherehavemorethanthreewivesandchildrenunderageareamongthem.”Thesequotesillustratethattherearecommunitiesorinstancesinwhichchildsexualassaultisstillnormalizedasacultural

practice.Relatedly,therearestillbeindividualswhoseechildsexualabuseasdifferentfrom

actsofrapeoraggression.AwomaninJosephTownsharedthat“Therewasa28yearsoldmanwhowasinasexualrelationshipwitha14yearoldgirl.WhenInoticedwhatwashappening,Iinformedtheparentsofthegirl,butitseemstheywereinsupporttheact.”Thedeferencetoparentswascomplicated.Sometimes,relativeswerethemostlikelytoreportsexualviolence,

andtheirbuy-inandsupportofthehotlinewascrucial.Atothertimes,theirinvolvement

ultimatelyfueledthecompromiseofcases.Asaresult,individualsoftennegotiatedthese

complexrelationshipsonacase-by-casebasisduringthereportingprocess. Insummary,theevidencefromthesurveysandfeedbackloopsshowthatwhilegender-based

violenceagainstchildrenwasuniversallycondemnedatbothbaselineandendline,therewere

significantchangesinspecificattitudestowardsparticularbehaviors,withgirlsandwomen

generallygrowingstrongerintheircondemnationofallformsofsexualmisconductand

expandingtherangeofbehaviorswhicharecondemned.Further,thefeedbackloopsandin-

depthinterviewsrevealedalevelofcomplexityinchildsexualharassmentandabusethatis

relatedononehandtopoverty,andontheothertothepersistenceoftraditionalcultural

practicesofrelationshipsofoldermenwithyoungerwomenandgirls.

AlthoughitisclearthatCGEP’smulti-channelcommunicationcampaigncontributedtosome

changeinknowledgeandattitudesaboutCSA,thischangecannotbeeasilyquantifiedgiventhe

numberofotheragenciespromotingthecondemnationofchildsexualabuseinLiberia.Ata

deeperlevel,whateverchangeinknowledgeandattitudesisreportedisconstrainedbythe

persistenceoftraditionalculturalpatterns,andchildren’svulnerabilityarisingfrompoverty.

4.2. HastherebeenachangeinthelevelofcitizenreportingusingtheSMS/Hotline?Whatfactorsinfluencethisusage?

4.2.1. AwarenessanduseoftheSMS/Hotline

AtthetimeofthebaselinealmostnooneknewofahotlineorSMSsystemtoreportchild

sexualabuse,sincethiswasonlyintroducedintheclosingstagesofthefirstCGEPpilot.In

contrastattheendline,nearlythree-quartersofall422respondents,bothmaleandfemale,

knewoftheMinistryofGender,ChildrenandSocialProtection’shotlineforreportingCSA.

Althoughtherearevariationsbyageandgenderwithinthespecificcommunities,overallthe

percentageofmalesandfemaleswhoareawareofthehotlineissimilar(72%offemalesand

75%formales).

21

Table10:AwarenessofHotlinebyCountry

Themajority(70.7%)ofthosewhowereawareoftheMinistryofGenderhotlinewereableto

recitetheexactphonenumber.Thesurveyalsoshowedthat15%ofrespondentssaidthatthey

knewofanotherhotlinetotheMinistryofGender.

TheProjecthasdevelopedandusedvariouschannelsofcommunicationtoencouragecitizens

tousethehotline/SMSsystem.Oneoftheimportantrolesplayedbythefeedbackloopsand

stakeholderconsultationshasbeentoexaminetherelativeeffectivenessofthesechannelsin

reachingcitizensandtoencouragethemtousethehotline/systemsystem.Theendlinesurvey

examinedthewaysinwhichparticipantslearnedofthehotline/SMS(Table11).

Table11:HowRespondentHeardAboutTGCIHotline/SMSSystem

CommunicationChannel Female(n=146) Male(n=126) Total(n=272)

RadioJingle/Ad 82.5% 75.0% 78.7%

Friend/familytoldmeaboutit 59.7% 43.6% 51.6%

Communityannouncement/leader 13.0% 30.1% 21.6%

ChurchorMosqueannouncement 5.2% 5.1% 5.2%

Signboard 73.4% 66.7% 70.0%

Other(specify) 17.5% 16.0% 16.8%

RadiojingleswereakeyareatargetedthroughouttheProject,withrecommendationsarising

continuallyfromthefeedbackloopstousethistypeofoutreach.Forexample,afterthefirst

feedbackloop,onerecommendationwasto“engagelocalmediaorradiostationstoincreasetheamountoftimetheyspendineducatingcitizensonhowtousetheirphonetoreportcrimeandcasesofsexualabusetothenewplatform.”Afterthesecondfeedbackloop,therecommendationwasthat“radiostationsengagedshouldintensifytheirjinglesandawarenessmessagesinlocaldialects.Thiswillhelpthelocalpeopletoknowthehotlineandbeabletoreporttothesystem.”Afterthethirdloop,thisrecommendationwasalsorevisitedto“continuewithradiotalkshowsandjingles(especiallyinlocaldialectsandtheregularcolloquial)tohelpsensitizeandcreatemoreawarenessamongwomenandchildrenespeciallywhenitcomestosendingreportsofcasesofsexualabusetotheTGCIsystem.”Thus,itisnosurprisethatradiojinglesendedupbeingthemostprevalentvehicleforthisinformation.Otherformsoftargeted

announcementsthatwererevisitedduringtheProjectincludedpostersandflyersaswellas

liaisingwithspecificcommunityorganizations,leaders,andgroups(e.g.,churches).

County

Total

Bomi 61.0%

GrandCapeMount 74.3%

Margibi 70.4%

Montserrado 80.8%

GrandTotal 71.6%

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4.2.2. ConstraintstocitizenuseoftheSMS/hotlinesystem

Thethirdfeedbackloopofferedthemostinsightintohowcommunitymembersperceivedthe

TGCIhotline/SMSsystem.TherewasnoclearpatternofpreferencesbetweeneitherSMSor

phonecallsacrossgroups,butratherasensethatbothformatswereequallyvaluableand

usefuldependingonparticipantneeds.SMSsystemsweremoresecretive,allowingparticipants

toreportanywhere.However,textingabilitywaslimitedbytechnicalknowledgeofphones,

literacy,andspelling.Individualsalsostatedtheirapprehensionthattheywouldsendatext

withoutknowingiftheinformationwasbeingactedupon.Callingguaranteedthatonewould

receivearesponse,butthereportercouldbeidentified.Thethirdfeedbackloopalsoconfirmed

whatwasfoundinthebaseline:thatmostchildrendonothaveaccesstoaphone,whilemost

adultsdo.Endlineinterviewsreinforcedthesethemes,notingthatthelackofaccesscouldbe

underestimatingthenumberofactualcasestakingplaceas“mostofthepeoplereportingarewomenandchildren”(stakeholderinUnificationTown).

Logistically,thetwomostcommonlycitedreasonsintheendlinefornotusingtheTGCI

hotline/SMSsystemwerelackofcoverageandtheperceptionthatoneneededcreditontheir

phonefirst.Additionalreasonsincludednotknowinghowtowritetosendatextmessage,not

havingaccesstoaphone,nothavingone’sphonecharged,orthefearofbeingcaught.Thelack

ofaccesstoamobilephoneinordertosendatextoraphonecall,whilestillabarrier,wasnot

asgreatabarrierasvisitingapolicestationinperson.Moreover,eventhoughreportingwas

saidtobeanonymous,therewasonecaseamongsttheKIIinterviewsinwhichthenameofthe

reporter,victim,andperpetratorwasdisclosed.Thus,practicingconfidentialitymaybedifficult

inwaysthatamplifytheseconcerns. Comparedtothesecondfeedbackloopinwhichthereseemedtobeasensethatmultiple

hotlinesexisted,awarenesswasclearerintheendlinethatthehotlinecamefromTGCI-CGEP.

Whiletherewasstillsomeminorconfusion,asseveralindividualsmentionedhearingaboutthe

hotlinetwoorthreeyearsago(priortotheimplementationofthecurrentProject),overall

participantsseemedtobeclearonthehotlineanditsuse.AsonewomaninJosephTown

surmised,

“Yes,IamawareoftheMinistryofGenderhotlinethatweareusingtosendreportsofchildsexualabuseto.Ihavebeenhearingjinglesandotherdramaontheradioconcerningthishotline(0775607493)andalsotherearepostersineverycornerofthistownthatcontainthehotlineandhowtoreportrapecasestothehotline.Therearetwowayswereport,bytextingthehotlineandbycallingthehotline.Ihavenotusedthehotlinetoreportbefore,butfriendsIknowhaveusedittoreportanditwaswonderfulbecausetheperpetratorshavebeenarrested.”

Insummary,itisclearthattheTGCI-CGEPhasbeensuccessfulinestablishingtheSMS/hotline

system.Citizensknowandappreciatethisresource,informedbythemultiplecommunication

channelsdevelopedandrefinedbytheProjectoverthepastyear.Asaresult,asignificant

numberofreportsaresubmittedtotheMinistryofGenderthroughtheProject.However,there

23

continuetobebarrierstotheuseofthesystem,includingtherelativelackofaccessfor

youngercitizenstomobilephones,thelowerlevelofliteracyforfemalespreventingtheuseof

theSMS,andalingeringsenseofthreatandvulnerabilityinreporting.Thisfinalpointis

particularlysalientfortheyoung,whoconsideritnecessarytoreportcasesthroughtheir

parentsoranothertrustedadult.

4.3. GovernmentresponsetocitizenreportsofCSA TGCIhaspioneeredinthedevelopmentandapplicationoftechnologiesofmultiple-channel

communicationstocitizens,andaninter-Governmentdatabasesystemtoreceiveandtrack

reportsofCSA.ThecitizenreportsarereviewedbytheMinistryofGender,ChildrenandSocial

ProtectionandtheMinistryofJustice,andwhentheymeetcriteriaofcompletenessand

plausibility,areenteredintotheGovernmentdatabaseatcountyandnationallevels.CGECP

hasassistedgovernmentinthedevelopmentandapplicationofthisdatabaseatthecountyand

nationallevels.ThepresentationofthatinformationforeachCountyforeachquarterofthe

yearisnowavailablethroughapublicwebsite.Asummaryofinformationfromthedatabase

(forallfourCGEPCounties)isprovidedinTable12.

Table12:SummaryofGovernmentCSATrackingDatabaseforfourCGEPCounties

AllReports

Receivedby

System3

CSAReports

Received,

Investigated,

Arrested

CSAPerpetrators

Charged

CSACasesin

Court

CSA

Perpetrators

Convicted

July-Dec2016 106 67 34 31 18

Jan-June2017 70 53 34 26 11

TOTALJuly2016-

June2017

176

120

68

57

29

Thissummaryshowsthat,forthesefourCounties,thenumberofCSAreportswhichhavebeen

acteduponthroughinvestigationsandarrestsisimpressive:120perpetratorshavebeenunder

investigation,and68ofthesehavebeenformallycharged.Itisnowalsopublicinformationthat

29perpetratorshavebeenconvicted.

4.3.1. BarrierstoapprehendandconvictCSAperpetrators

However,whatTable12doesnotrevealemergedinthefeedbackloopsandtheendline

interviews:theMinistryofJustice,thepolice,andthecourtsystemsareunder-resourced. Whiletheimplementationofthehotlinestreamlinedthereportingprocessandconnected

differentGovernmentagencies,therewereseveralchallengeswiththeMinistryresponse.Lack

oftransportationwasoneofthebiggestissues.AboyinDolo’sTownsharedoneexample:“I

3Thisfiguredoesnotincludereportsthatwerereceivedbythesystemthatweredeterminedtobeinvalidreports

(e.g.didnotincludeareportofanytypeofabusee.g.areportofaneedforroadrepairorbrokenwell;blank

messages,messagesof‘pleasecallme’etc.).

24

haveused[theTGCI]hotlinetoreportcasethatwasperpetratedagainstmysister.Butunfortunately,theperpetratorescapedbecauseittooktimeforthepolicetoarrive.”Lackofresourcescouldslowdowninvestigation,withastakeholderinWestPointnotingthat

“governmentresponsesaregradualbecausegatheringevidenceforcasestakestimeandwelackthetechnologytostrikefast.”Also,thelackofresourcesmeantthatwaslittlesupportforsurvivorsofsexualassault.Inthe

endline,oneexamplecamefromateacherinJosephTown:“Aladybetweentheagesof30-38wasraped,andtherewasnotrainedgenderbasedviolencenursearoundtocheckforevidence.Justicewasdestroyed.”AcrosstheProjectfeedbackloopsandinterviews,individualsrepeatedlyspokeuptonotethattheunderstaffedpoliceforce,limitedtransportationoptions,

lackofmedicalcare,anddistancetocourtfacilitiescreatedbarrierstopersecuting

perpetrators,supportingsurvivors,andensuringthatjusticewasserved.

4.3.2. Culturalpractice:Negotiating(compromising)withperpetrators

ThroughouttheProjectperiod,theissueofcompromisinghasbeenadominantchallengeto

addressingchildsexualabuse.Inthebaseline,KIIparticipantsmentionedthatparents

compromisedcasesinordertoreceivemoney.Inthefeedbackloops,instancesofcompromise

cameupwithparents,communityleaders,andevenpolice.Thiscreatedasituationinwhich

manycaseswereultimatelyunresolvedbecausetheywerecompromisedbeforeproperaction

couldbetaken.Inaddition,somecasescontinuetobeunreported.AsaUnificationTown

stakeholdernoted,“[manyfamilies]prefer[casesofsexualassault]betakentotheirelderfordiscussionthantobeforwardedtothecourtforproperinvestigation.”Victimswerepressured

tocompromisecases,suchasincreasingtheirageorrefusingtotestify.Schoolsand

communitiescouldcompromisetomaintaintheirreputationwhilefamiliessoughtoutfinancial

payoffs.Thisissueremainedconsistentacrossindividualsandtimepoints,showingthatit

continuestobeasubstantialobstacleinconfrontingchildsexualabuseinLiberia.

OneofthemostsignificantchangesduringtheProjectperiodwascitizen’sperceptionofthe

roleofGovernment.Citizenrespondentsinthebaselinesurveywerenotawarethatthe

governmentwasmandatedtofollow-uponreportsofchildsexualabuse.Incontrast,inthe

endline,participantsclearlysawthegovernmentasresponsibleforthisresponseandfulfilling

thisrolewithmoderatetohighdegreesofsuccess.Forexample,acrosstheendlineKIIs,

participantslargelyviewedministryofficialsastrustworthyandcommittedtofollowingupon

reports.Participantsidentifiedthewaysinwhichministryofficialswouldkeeptheminformed

ofdevelopmentswhetherthroughcalls,visits,ortheiroffice.AsonemaninBehTownshared,

“TheresponsefromtheMinistryofGendertocitizens’complaintsaboutchildsexualabuseisgood.Whenevertheyreceivethesecomplaints,theynormallypursuethesecasesandseetoitthatthevictimsarewelltakingcareofmedically,andjusticebeservedtotheperpetrator.TheGenderMinistryistrustworthywhenitcomestothesecases,excepttheyarenotinformedaboutit.Citizensarealwaysinformedabouttheircasesthroughvisitationandcellphones

25

communications.Wejustneedgoodroadsandcellphonenetworksystems,becausetheyarefactorsthathinderstheresponsivenessoftheMinistry.”

AboyinUnificationTownechoesthissentiment,sharingthat“wehaveseenthemactingandmakingsurecasesarefollowedandencouragingpeopletoreportchildsexualabuse.”ThesecitizenviewsoftheMinistryresponseandfollow-upnotedthatissuesof

compromiseoftenhappenedwiththoseclosesttothecase---parents,teachers,even

communityleaders.Inthesecases,policeandministryofficialswereoften,thoughnot

always,seenasmorereliableandlesslikelytobeinfluenced.Moreover,asparticipants

wereabletocitesuccessfulcasesthatwerereportedandadjudicated,individualswere

morelikelytobelievethatthegovernmentwassuccessfullyfulfillingitsrole.

Nonetheless,multipleindividualsalsomentionedthattheministrycoulddomoreto

collaborate.Forexample,endlineinterviewsrevealedadisconnectthatsometimeshappened

withthevictimandtheirfamiliesaftertheinitialreporting.AsastakeholderinJosephTown

explained,

Thevictims’familiesareimpatienttofollowuptheircase.Theyleavethecasethereandnevercomeback,buttheyareexpectingthecourttobecomemiracleswithouttheirpatience.So,whentheperpetratorsarereleased,theywouldsaythatwewerebeingbribedbytheperpetrator’sfamily.

Severalgovernmentofficialsnotedtheaccusationfromfamiliesthattheywerecompromising

thecase,suggestingthattransparencywasneededtoexplaintheprocessandroadblocksalong

theway.Thisconcernalsoechoedfindingsrelatedtothelimitedresourcesforvictims,asthe

lackoftransportationandstaffingmadegreatercoordinationbetweenMinistriesdifficult.

Insummary,weseethatduringthepastyearinthesefourCountiestherehasbeena

remarkableincreaseincitizenawarenessoftheroleandcapacityofgovernmentinaddressing

theproblemofchildsexualabuse.Citizensgenerallyviewgovernment’sroleinaddressingCSA

verypositively.Government,throughitsparticipationinpublicforums,ontheradio,andinits

publicwebsite,trackingprogressonreporting,apprehending,investigating,arrestingand

convictingperpetrators,hasearnedcitizen’sappreciationandrespect.However,itisalsoclear

thatthelackofresourcesfortheMinistryofJustice,andtotheMinistryofGender,isa

significantbarriertoapprehendingperpetratorsandtosupportvictims.Further,thepracticeof

protectingperpetratorsbyfamilymembers,schoolandcommunityleaders(andvery

occasionallygovernmentofficers),sometimeswithcompromisingpayoffs,andsometimesjust

toattempttokeepareputation,continues.

26

4.4. IsthereevidenceonanychangeintheincidenceofCSA?Whatdocitizensbelieveaboutthis?

Therearetwolong-termgoalsfortheProject:Increasedcitizenengagementwith

governmentonsocialpolicyandaction,andreducedincidenceofchildsexualabuse.The

overallhypothesisoftheProjectisthatthecombinationofcommunicationsandtheSMS/hotlinedatabasesystemwillcatalyzegreatercitizenengagementandactionablereporting,resultinginreducedincidenceofchildsexualabuse.Asnotedintheintroductiontothissectiononfindings,itwouldbeunrealistictoexpectthatinlittlemorethanasingleyear

therewouldbeevidencethatthesecondoutcomewasachieved.Wewouldhopetoseean

increaseinreportinginthefirststage,andonlyatasecondstageevidenceforthedeclinein

theactualincidenceofCSA.Thisdeclinewouldresultfromheightenedcitizenawarenessand

condemnationofCSA,andincreasedexposureofperpetratorstoarrestandconviction.The

evidencefromtheGovernmentdatabase,expandedoninTable13,indicatedthatalthoughthe

rateoftotalandacceptedreportsincreasedthroughDecemberof2016,itthereafterdeclined

throughJune2017.

Table13:ReportsReceivedandActedonbyQuarterforFourCounties

DateRangeReports

Received

CSAReports

Received,

Investigated,

Arrested

CSA

Perpetrators

Charged

CSACasesinCourt

CSA

Perpetrators

Convicted

July-Sept.2016 33 12 5 5 2

Oct.-Dec.2016 73 55 29 26 16

Jan.-Mar.2017 41 35 16 8 1

Apr-June2017 29 18 18 18 10

TOTAL 176 120 68 57 29

Howcanweinterpretthistrend?Isitbasedontheactualreductionofreportedcrime(all

reports)andCSAafterDecember2016?Orisitthattheincidenceandreportingissensitiveto

theseasons?Or,isitthatcitizensareforreasonsthatarenotclear,simplyreducingtheiruseof

theSMS/hotlinesystem?Theevidenceprovideddoesnotgiveusananswertothisimportant

question.Thus,wewillturntotheinterviewsandfeedbackloopstolistentothevoicesof

citizens,governmentofficials,teachers,andcommunityleaders. Accordingtorespondentsintheendlineinterviews,whenaskedwhethertheyhadheardabout

orexperiencedformsofphysicalandsexualharassmentorabuseagainstchildrenintheircommunityinthelastthreemonths,physicalabuseathomewasthemostcommon,followed

bysexualharassmentathome.Lookingatthechangeovertime,therearesignificantlymore

peoplesayingthatthissortofabusehappens‘often’.Thissuggeststhatcommunitymembers

aremoreawareofsuchincidences,ratherthantherebeinganactualincreaseinincidence

sincethebaseline.Inotherwords,thepictureatendlineislikelyamoreaccuratedepictionof

thesituationascomparedtobaseline,whentheissuewaslikelymoretabooandlessdiscussed.

27

Table14:IncidenceofAbuseofChildreninlast3monthsinCommunity,byGender-%saying‘often’(onscaleofdon’tknow,

never,sometimes,andoften)

Typeofabuse Gender

BASELINE

Often

(n=402)

ENDLINE

Often

(n=380)

Physicalabuseathome

Female 25.5% 32.5%*

Male 22.8% 53.3%

Total 24.1% 43.3%

Sexualharassmentathome

Female 12.0% 17.0%*

Male 6.4% 33.5%

Total 9.2% 25.6%

Sexualabuseathome

Female 2.0% 12.4%

Male 3.0% 25.5%

Total 2.5% 19.2%

Sexualharassmentoutsidehome

Female 51.5% 12.9%

Male 28.7% 30.2%*

Total 40.0% 21.9%

Sexualabuseoutsidehome

Female 10.5% 11.9%*

Male 9.9% 25.9%

Total 10.2% 19.2%


However,codingoftheopen-endedresponsesduringtheendlineKIIsrevealedthatthe

majorityofparticipants(73%)intheseextendedinterviewsstatedthattheythoughtchild

sexualabusewaseithernotcommonordecreasingintheircommunity.Only16(18%)believed

thattheprevalenceofchildsexualabusewasthesameorincreasing.Theinterviewssuggest

possiblereasonsfortheseapparentcontradictions.

Aspreviouslymentionedwhendiscussingthecommunicationchannels,multipleparticipants

mentionedanincreasedcommunitypresencefromthegovernmentandNGOsthatspread

messagestosensitizeindividualstoCSA.Thus,individualsmayhavedevelopedmoreawareness

ofinstancesofchildsexualassaultacrossthedurationoftheCGEProjectevenasthey

perceivedtheoverallclimateofviolencetobedecreasing.

InthebaselineKIIs,participantsnotedthatrapecaseswereoftenhandledatthecommunity

levelratherthanwithpolice.Aperceptionoftheincreasecouldbethatthesereportsarenow

happeningofficially,ratherthanbeingsettledinthecommunity.Thisfindingiscomplicated,as

manyparticipantsidentifiedthatmultiplecasesarestillcompromisedinawaythatlimited

theirreportingandresponse.AccordingtoastakeholderinTiene,“Eventhoughitisstillhappening,butatalowerrate,morepeoplearehidingit.Wearegettingintelligenceandinvestigatingsuspectedcasesthathavebeencompromised.”AmaninWestPointoffered

28

anotherclearcomplication,sharingthat“Childsexualabusesinthecommunityarebeginningtoreduce.Twothingsmightbethereasons:peopleareafraidtoreportoritisnothappening.”Finally,theremaybeinstancesofchildsexualassaultthatindividualscontinuetooverlookdue

totheculturalnorms,illustratingareaswheresensitizationeffortshavefallenshort.For

example,amalestakeholderinTienisharedduringthebaseline:

“Peopleheredon'tseerapeasanissue…Islamisoneofthemajorreligionshere,theyusuallydon'tobeytherequisitelawsformarriage.Whenachildreachespubertytheyarrangeformarriage.Sometimesasyoungas12,13,14-yearoldchildrenarewivesinthiscommunity.”

Insummary,itisatthispointvirtuallyimpossibletodetermine,fromtheevidenceathand,the

trendintheactualincidenceofchildsexualabuse.Althoughrespondents’in-depthinterviews

attheendlinestatedthatCSAwaseithernotaproblemordecreasingandthedatafromthe

governmentdatabaseshowsadeclineinreportedcases,therearealsocounterindicationsthat

peopleareincreasinglyhidingcasesoracceptingcasesofchildmarriageasmerelycustomary.It

willtakemorethanayearoffulloperationsinthefourcountriesforthelong-termgoalof

reducingCSAbeginstobeevident.

4.5. Whathasbeenthecontributionofdevelopmentalevaluationusingfeedbackloopsandcollaborativeconsultation?

TheTGCI/CGEProjectseekstousedevelopmentalevaluationasanorganizationallearning

approachsoastoimproveitsstrategies,actionsandimpact.Evenmorefundamentally,

developmentalevaluation,asdesignedfortheProject,seekstoengagecitizenswith

governmentinlearningfromandimprovinguponthoseactivitiesthatstrengthencivilsociety

onsocialpolicyandpracticetoaddressthesocialplagueofchildsexualabuse.

Thedevelopmentalevaluationapproachisbasedonaseriesofwhatwastermed“feedback

loops,”comprisedofi)aregularcycleoffieldresearch,usingkeyinformantinterviewsand

focusgroups,toassesstheeffectivenessofprojectactivities;andii)theconveningofvoluntary

stakeholderconsultativemeetingstoreviewthatevidence,todrawfromtheirownexperience

andinsighttoassessthemeaningoftheevidence,andtomakerecommendationsforhowthe

Projectcanmakeadaptationstoimproveperformancetowardsthekeyoutcomesandgoals.

TheProjectseekstodemonstratehowthisapproachcanengagekeystakeholders(citizens,

communityleaders,governmentofficers,teachers,andstaff)aspartnersintheanalysisandco-

designersofimprovedinterventions.

Althoughthedatagatheringprocessforthefeedbackloopsworksatrepresentative,selected

communities,thestakeholderconsultationsareheldattheCountylevel.Duringtheperiod

fromSeptember2016whentheProjectevaluationbegan,throughtoAugust2017,theProject

carriedoutthreefeedbackloops:

29

Table15:StructureofFeedbackLoops

TIMEFRAME

Sourceofdataforanalysis&

consultations:FieldResearch

CountyLevelStakeholderConsultativeGroups

FeedbackLoop1

Sep2016–data

Oct2016-Meetings

Resultsofbaselinesurvey(402)and

interviews(98)summarizedfor

StakeholderConsultations.

Between15and20stakeholdersmetineach

countyforeachFeedbackLoop.Stakeholder

GroupswerecomposedofGovernmentOfficials

fromMinistryofGender,Health,Justice,

Education,andBureauofImmigrationand

Neutralization,NGOs,women’sgroupleaders,

youthleaders,pastors,Imams,peoplefromthe

media,civilsocietyorganizations,marketersand

theCountyAttorney.Therewereatotalof,on

average,75stakeholdersplusProjectstaffwho

servedasfacilitatorsforeachoftheoneday

consultativemeetingsheldinthefourcounties. TheStakeholderConsultativeGroupsmetforone

fulldayforeachofthethreeFeedbackLoopcycles

FeedbackLoop2

Jan2017-data

Feb2017–meetings

5localitiesforeachof4Counties,

with306interviews(15per

community)plus5focusgroups.

FeedbackLoop3

May2017-data

Jun2017-meetings

5localitiesforeachof4Counties

3focusgroupsineachlocality

(adults,malechildren,female

children)plusoneCountylevelFG

withgovernment&teachers.(total

of63focusgroups=819participants

Whenthefielddataforeachofthefeedbackloopswasanalyzedandsummarized(thiswas

donebyanexternalconsultant),itwasprovidedtotheStakeholderConsultativeGroups,

facilitatedbyCGEProjectstaff.Thefulldayconsultationsineachcounty,engaging15to20

representativesfromgovernment,civilsociety,youthleaders,women’sgroupsandreligious

bodies,examinetheinformationprovidedfromthefieldwork,providetheirviewsastothe

significanceandmeaningofthesefindings,determinethecentralissuestoaddress,and

providerecommendationsastonextsteps.Table16providesabriefsummaryofthisprocess

ofconsultation,drawingfromtherecordsofthefieldresearchandtheStakeholder

ConsultativeGroups.TheTablehighlightsthekeyissuesthatemergedfromtheanalysisofthe

feedbackloopfieldresearch,andsomeoftherecommendationsthatarosefromthe

stakeholderconsultationsheldineachofthefourCountiesforeachofthethreeFeedbackLoop

cycles.

30

Table16:RepresentativeIssuesandRecommendationsfrom

FeedbackLoops

KeyIssues:From

FieldResearch:FocusGroups&KIIs

SampleRecom

mendationsfrom

StakeholderConsultationsFeedbackLoop1

• Highlevelofcitizenaw

arenessthatCSAisprevalent,wrong,andillegal

• CitizensandG

overnmentAgenciespositiveabouttheuseofanSM

Sreportingsystem

•

Accessanduseofcellphones/SMSishighform

en,butverylow,lessthan

20%,forw

omen,andespeciallyyoungerw

omenw

hoarethemost

frequentvictims

• Needtohelpyoungerw

omengainaccesstocellphones–seekhelpof

older,trustedwom

anincommunity

• Provideguidanceastow

hereincommunitypeoplew

ithoutaccesstophonescangoforhelptoreportCSAcases

• Guidancetocom

munitym

emberstoassistlaw

enforcementofficersto

apprehendknownperpetrators

• Seekw

aystobetterpromoteknow

ledgeanduseofSMSplatform

inourcom

munities

FeedbackLoop2

• Schoolsareakeyplaceforaw

arenessraisingandbehaviorchangemessagesonG

BVandCSA-buttheycanalsobepredatory.Youthclubsandwom

en’sgroupscanstrengthenawarenesscam

paign.•

UseofSM

Sisimpairedbyilliteracy,espforw

omeninruralcom

munities;

alsonotedthatradiocoveragewaslim

ited.Expandradiocoverage,esp.inlocallanguagesusingdram

a,music,jingles.

• Reportingcanbehazardous,espw

hereperpetratorknowsthevictim

andthereporter.

• Significanceof‘com

promising’cases,bynegotiatingorpayingperpetrator

andvictimtorem

ainsilent.

• Increasethecam

paigninschoolswithm

eetings,posters,broadcasts;Engageyouthclubstoreachouttootheryouth,inschoolandout.

• Seekm

eansforprovidingyoungwom

enwithaccesstophones,helpin

sendingSMS(com

munications/radio)

• Stepupthedevelopm

entanduseofradioand‘pocket=sized’postersdistribution,sothateverycom

munityineachCountyisreached:use

schools,churches,mosques,tow

nhalls,markets,hospitalsandtow

nhalls.•

Inforumsandcom

municationsaddressissuesrelatedtopoverty,w

herebychildrenarehighlyvulnerabletoabuseinexchangeforgiftsand/ormoney.

FeedbackLoop3

• ProsandconsofSM

Svshotlinereviewed

• Recentincreaseinreachingw

omenandchildren,notedthatthepreference

wasforthosew

ithoutphonestoseekoutatrustedadult.•

YouthFGssaidtheydonotfeelsafeintheircom

munitiesw

ithdomestic,

sexualandphysicalviolencecommon,alongsidedruguse,neglectandeven

witchcraft.Youthneedtoreceivem

oreprotectionfromcom

munity

leaders,policy,schoolheads.•

GirlsFG

sfeltsexualharassmentandviolencew

ererampant,w

heretheywereabusedbyrelatives,strangersandadultsw

ithpowerandm

oney.Agirlbecom

ingpregnantfromrapeisstigm

atizedandisolated,sotheyfearcom

ingforward.

• Com

promise,w

herebyanadultinpowerseekstosuppressinform

ationaboutabuseandnegotiatew

iththeperpetratorcontinuestobeacommon

practice,

• Casesofyouthfriendshipandorganizationcanbothm

itigatetheisolationfollow

ingCSA,andcansupportthereportingoftheabuse.Youthclubsandorganizationsshouldbeassistedw

ithguidelinesandinformation.

• Continuew

iththeawareness-raisingcam

paign,craftingradioandposter/flyerm

essagesinresponsetoyouthvoicesandencouragingyouthfriendshipandorganization;

• Continuew

iththelocalradioprograms,jingles,anddram

a–thesearegainingw

idespreadfollowingandappreciation

• Enhancethecoordinationbetw

eenpolice,socialworkersandcourtsw

hoallplayakeyroleincoordinationofCSAcases.

• StrengthenthecapacityoftheM

inistryofGenderstafftoprovide

feedbackaboutreportedcasessoastoexpeditependingcasesofCSAinthecourts.

31

Therearetwoimportantoutcomesthatarisefromthedesignandapplicationofdevelopmentalevaluationusingfeedbackloops.First,itmodelstherelationshipbetweencivilsocietyandgovernmentinusingevidenceandstakeholdersownexperienceandinsightstounderstandkeysocialissues,analyzethefactorsrelatedtothoseissues,andpresentsolutionstoaddressingtheseissues.Secondly,theProjectitselfnotonlybenefitsfromtheeyes,experience,andjudgementofkeystakeholdersinshapingitswork,butsimultaneouslyhelpstobuildthelocalcapacitytoaddressissues.Inthiscase,theProjectbuiltcapacitytoaddressthehighincidenceofchildsexualabuse. However,thereisadownsidetothedevelopmentalevaluationmodelthatwasusedfortheTGCI/CGEProject.Itrequiresahighlevelofleadershipandmanagementaswellasasubstantialnumberandcapacityoffieldstafftocarryouttheresearch,toconducttheanalysisandpresentationofdata(theProjectrequiredexternalconsultantstoassistwiththiswork),andtofacilitatetheStakeholderConsultativeGroups.Finally,itrequiresresourcesfarbeyondtheusualprojectbudgetformonitoringandevaluation.Inthiscase,thedevelopmentalevaluationmodelneededabout10%ofthetotalprojectbudget.ThisillustratestheargumentthatdevelopmentalevaluationisparticularlyeffectiveforapilotProjectwhichseekstocreateeffectivestrategiesandactivitiesusingfeedbackandtoengagelocalpartnersandstakeholdersinthatlearningprocess.Thereisnosimpleanswertothequestion,“Isthisgoodvalueformoney?”Doestheextraeffortrequiredforthedevelopmentalevaluationandfeedbackloopprocessprovidebetterprojectresults(inthiscaseincreasedcitizenengagementwithgovernmentonsocialpolicyandactionrelatedtoCSAand,ultimately,thereductionofincidentsofCSA?)?TheevidenceprovidedinthisreportonthechangesincitizenknowledgeandattitudestowardCSA;thelevelofreportingusingthenewSMS/hotlinesystemandthegovernmentdatabasetrackingsystem;theincreaseincitizenawarenessoftherole,responsibilitiesandcapacitiesofgovernment;andtheearly,mixedevidenceonthereductionofchildsexualabuse,suggestthatthisProject,overtheperiodofjustmorethanoneyear,hasmadecommendableprogress.Itisevidentthatthedevelopmentalevaluationandfeedbackloopshavemadeanimportantcontributiontothatprogress,inparticulartotheimprovedrelationshipsandpartnershipbetweencitizensandgovernment,asexemplifiedbytheregularmeetingsanddeliberationsoftheStakeholderConsultativeGroups.

5. CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS ThisevaluationsoughttoanswerfivekeyquestionsrelatedtotheProject’stheoryofchange:RegardingtheperiodfromthebaselineassessmentinSeptember2016totheendlineassessmentinAugust2017-

32

i) Hastherebeenachangeincitizens’knowledgeandattitudesaboutchildsexualabuse?Ifso,whatcontributionhastheprojectmadetothischange?

ii) Hastherebeenachangeincitizen-governmentengagementinthelevelofreportingusingthetheSMS/Hotline?Whatfactorsinfluencethisusage?

iii) WhathasbeenGovernmentresponsetocitizenreportsofCSA?iv) IsthereevidenceonanychangeintheincidenceofCSA?Whatdocitizensbelieveabout

this?v) Whathasbeenthecontributionofthedevelopmentalevaluationusingfeedbackloops

andcollaborativeconsultation? Toanswerthesequestionstheevaluationdrewonthequantitativeandqualitativedataandanalysisfromboththebaselineandendlinereports,andonthedata,analysis,andconsultationsfromthethreefeedbackloops.Thebaselineandendline,usingarandomlyselectedsampleofapproximately400respondents,providedthestatisticalpowertodeterminewhetherthechangessoughtbytheProjectactuallyoccurred.Wecanbeconfidentthat,inregardstothefirstthreequestions,therehasbeensignificantandpositivechange.Thefourthquestion,concerningevidenceonchangeintheactualincidenceofCSA,doesnotofferaclearansweratthispoint:asingleyearisaveryshorttimeforsuchadeeplyrootedperniciousbehaviortobetransformed.SincetheevidenceontheincidenceofCSAisonlynowbeginningtoemerge,weonlyhavethevoicesandopinionsfrominterviewsandstakeholdersthattheincidenceofCSAisdeclining.Finally,althoughitisnotpossibletoquantitativelyassessthecontributionofthedevelopmentalevaluationapproachusingthefeedbackloopstotheachievementofProjectoutcomes,webelievethatthisapproachmadeanimportantcontributiontototheimprovedrelationshipandpartnershipbetweencitizensandgovernment,asmodeledbytheregularmeetingsanddeliberationsoftheStakeholderConsultativeGroups.Thesefindingsaresummarizedbelow.

5.1. Citizens’knowledgeandattitudesaboutchildsexualabuseTheevidencefromthesurveysandfeedbackloopsshowthatwhilegender-basedviolenceagainstchildrenwasuniversallycondemnedatbothbaselineandendline,thereweresignificantchangesinspecificattitudestowardsparticularbehaviors,withgirlsandwomengenerallygrowingstrongerintheircondemnationofallformsofsexualmisconduct,andexpandingtherangeofbehaviorswhicharecondemned.Further,thefeedbackloopsandin-depthinterviewsrevealedalevelofcomplexityinchildsexualharassmentandabusethatisrelatedononehandtopoverty,andontheothertothepersistenceoftraditionalculturalpracticesofrelationshipsofoldermenwithyoungerwomenandgirls.

33

5.2. Citizen-governmentengagementinthelevelofreportingusingtheSMS/HotlineItisclearthattheTGCI/CGEProjecthasbeensuccessfulin(1)establishingtheSMS/hotlinesystem;(2)thatcitizensknowandappreciatethissystem,informedbythemultiplecommunicationchannelsdevelopedandrefinedbytheProjectoverthepastyear;and(3)thatasignificantnumberofreportsaresubmittedtotheMinistryofGender.However,therecontinuetobebarrierstotheuseofthesystem,includingtherelativelackofaccessforyoungercitizenstomobilephones,thelowerlevelofliteracyforfemalespreventingtheuseoftheSMS,andalingeringsenseofthreatandvulnerabilityparticularlyfortheyoung,whoconsideritnecessarytoreportcasesthroughtheirparentsoranothertrustedadult.

5.3. GovernmentresponsetocitizenreportsofCSADuringthepastyearinthefourProjectcountiestherehasbeenaremarkableincreaseincitizenawarenessoftheroleandcapacityofgovernmentinaddressingtheproblemofchildsexualabuse.Citizensgenerallyviewgovernment’sroleinaddressingCSAverypositively.Governmenthasearnedcitizen’sappreciationandrespectthroughparticipationinpublicforumsandtrackingprogressonreporting,apprehending,investigating,arresting,andconvictingperpetrators,.However,itisalsoclearthatthelackofresourcesfortheMinistryofJustice,andtotheMinistryofGender,isasignificantbarriertoapprehendingperpetrators,andtosupportvictims.Further,thepracticeofprotectingperpetratorsbyfamilymembers,schoolandcommunityleaders(andveryoccasionallygovernmentofficers),sometimeswithcompromisingpayoffs,andsometimesjusttoattempttokeepareputation,continues.

5.4. TheincidenceofCSAAtthispoint,itisvirtuallyimpossibletodeterminethetrendintheactualincidenceofchildsexualabusefromtheevidenceathand.Althoughrespondent’sin-depthinterviewsattheendlinestatedthatCSAwaseithernotaproblemordecreasing,andthedatafromthegovernmentdatabaseshowsadeclineinreportedcases,therearealsocounterindications.BothsurveydataandsomeKIIparticipantsbelievethatpeopleareincreasinglyhidingcases.WhenCSAinvolveschildmarriage,familiesacceptthisascustomaryandnotacaseofchildsexualabuse.Itwilltakemorethanayearoffulloperationsinthefourcountriesforthelong-termgoalofreducingCSAbeginstobeevident.

5.5. ThecontributionofthedevelopmentalevaluationTheevidenceprovidedinthisreportonthechangesincitizenknowledgeandattitudestowardCSA;thelevelofreportingusingthenewSMS/hotlinesystemandthegovernmentdatabasetrackingsystem;theincreaseincitizenawarenessoftherole,responsibilitiesandcapacitiesofgovernment;andtheearly,mixedevidenceonthereductionofchildsexualabuse,suggestthatinitsrelativelybriefdurationtheProjecthasmadecommendableprogress.Itisevidentthatthedevelopmentalevaluationandfeedbackloopshavemadeimportantcontributionstothat

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progress,particularlyinstrengtheningrelationshipsandthepartnershipbetweencitizensandgovernmentexemplifiedbytheregularmeetingsoftheStakeholderConsultativeGroups.

6. RecommendationInordertotransformhumanrelationshipsandbehaviortowardsgreaterjusticeandequity,anydevelopmentalprojectmustseektobuildgreaterunderstanding,capacity,andcommitmentswithlocalpartnersatthehousehold,community,county/districtlevels,national,andprogramlevels.Thisprocess,ashasbeennotedbymanywhoworkinthisfield,mustrecognizethatdevelopmentmeansbuildingrelationships.Thisrequirestimetodeveloptrust,appreciationandempathywithcommunitiesandstakeholdersalongsidepracticalknowledgeofhowtogetthingsdoneinacomplexandchallengingenvironment.TheTGCI/CGEProjectisstillattheearlystagesofapromisingapproachtoengagingcitizenswithgovernmentinaddressingthesocialplagueofchildsexualabuseinLiberia.ThisevaluationhasdemonstratedthattheProjectismakingprogressinanextremelychallengingandcomplexenvironment.Itisevolvingthroughthebuildingofrelationships,andcapacitiesthatprovidethefoundationforfurtherdevelopmentsandaction.TherecommendationisthatCGEPshouldcontinuetoexpand,tolearnandgrow,andtoputinplaceastrongdevelopmentalevaluationframework.ThiswillallowtheProjecttobothassessitsprogressandtocreateinnovativesolutionsforreducingchildsexualabuse,andmoregenerallygender-basedviolence.Ithasbuiltastrongfoundationtogrowthatimportantwork.

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ANNEX1:TGCI-CGEPPOSTER

Documents

Submitted by The Global Citizens' Initiative (TGCI) to ... · MAKING ALL VOICES COUNT FINAL EVALUATION REPORT THE (LIBERIA) CITIZEN-GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT PROJECT (CGEP) Contract Reference