A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

With regard to victims, a public hearings witness stated that “They’re so used to these things that
they’re in a state of learned helplessness. They think there is no recourse, they have nothing – no way
out.” 405 Thus, she works with an organization that seeks to raise awareness about legal recourse for
domestic violence victims. 406
Young, illiterate adult women between 20 and 40 years of age comprise a particularly vulnerable
population. 407 Traditionally, there is a greater proportion of elderly women among the illiterate due to
historical trends relative to gender and education. 408 An interviewee observed, however, a recent trend
of increasing numbers of younger women with little to no education. She attributed this to relocation
from the war, changed familial structures, and unwanted pregnancies from early sexual exposure
or rape. These women drop out of school, and with no support and a child to raise, their education
ceases. 409 These young women may blend in, be well-spoken and well-dressed, but they are unable to
fill out a job application.
Raising Children in a New Cultural Landscape
Within the diaspora community, there are youth who have grown up largely in the United States,
having arrived at young ages, as well as youth who arrived at older ages. The experiences and views of
those who have been primarily raised in the United States are, in many respects, different from those
who arrived at later ages. For this former group, their stories are often indistinguishable from many
young persons born in the United States. One statement giver who arrived in the United States at age
four reports that he self-identifies as American, that most of his friends are non-Liberians, that he is a
high school graduate and college bound, and that he plans a career in business. 410 For the other group,
many of whom have experienced trauma in Liberia or in the emigration process, life in the United
States can be more complicated.
Liberian youth who arrived at older ages face significant challenges. For these young persons, school
issues predominate. Multiple statement givers and interviewees reported that school age Liberians
are initially placed in classrooms based on age, rather than academic level. As many of these young
persons have not attended school continuously because of the conflict, their academic status lags
behind their biological age. 411 A refugee resettlement educator summarized:
Imagine an eighteen-year-old at a fourth grade level. The schools put them
in classes based on their age and it’s a real problem – they can’t be with the
little kids but they can’t manage academically as a senior in high school
either. 412
While some students ultimately may catch up to their age peers, one statement giver reported that in
his community Liberian youth are graduating from high school by memorizing material rather than
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Chapter Thirteen