Documentary 1: Women of Liberia

Amnesty International welcomes you to the groundbreaking US film launch and tour of Women of Liberia: Fighting for Peace. In this poignant documentary, directed by two time academy award winning Jonathan Stack and commissioned by Amnesty International, Women of Liberia follows the epic journey of five women from the beginning of the war to reintegration into post-conflict society. This is a fate, which many women associated with the fighting forces in Liberia, will never reach.

Jackie Redd, Monrovia (Liberia)
In 1990, when Jackie was just 13 years old, she was abducted and raped by government soldiers. Soon after being captured, she escaped and discovered that her father had been killed by government soldiers – the same group that had raped her.

As a form of revenge and with few other options, she decided to join the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led at the time by the former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Jackie stayed with the NPFL throughout the first war and then joined the Anti Terrorist Unit, the government’s elite force when Charles Taylor came to power in 1997. She stayed with them until 2002, a year before the second war ended. One of her last roles with Charles Taylor was his personal body guard.

After going through the first DDR process in Liberia (1997), Jackie had little trust the second one would be worthwhile and decided not to participate in it. Jackie stays in close touch with many of the women formally under her command, and every chance she gets, she helps them out and advocates on their behalf.

She now works for the international organization, Search for Common Ground, in Liberia as a radio operator. She has feels blessed to have the opportunity to work with them. Jackie is a single mother with a son who is 18 years old.

Florence Ballah, Voinjama (Lofa County)
At the tender age of 14, separated from her family, Florence and six other women were captured by ULIMO soldiers in Lofa County along the Guinea border. Five of the women including Florence were raped and the remaining two were killed because they refused to be raped. Out of fear and with few other opportunities, Florence stayed with ULIMO as a cook and porter until the first war ended in 1997.

After experiencing the levels of violence that she did, Florence made every effort to stay out of Liberia’s second war which lasted from 1997 to 2003. Since then, Florence has participated in a Liberian organization called National Excombatant Peace Initiative (NEPI), which was set up by and for former fighters associated with the fighting forces to help in reintegration efforts. NEPI participated in the second Liberian disbarment process. They have also been engaged in human rights training of men and women formerly associated with the fighting forces.

Since she joined NEPI, she has been a spokesperson on issues related to women in Liberia. Florence is married with two children and her dream is to become a medical doctor.