Issue and Opponent: Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe led a military coup in the 1970s and usurped power as the first Liberian native (tribe) head of state. People found that Doe was partial to those who belong to his tribe–Krahn. This coupled with various other corruptions and triggering factors led to the Liberian Civil War. The Civil War proved especially, the reality of women’s lives went unreported. Gbowee mentioned some of their roles involved hiding their husbands and sons harmful for Liberian women because of gender vulnerabilities. They were more exposed to violence since in traditional homes, women walked long distances to collect water for their households. Doe’s tendencies to blatantly favor his tribe broke Liberia into multiple factions, each rebelling against the other. Liberia was now a country divided by rebel factions. By 2003, Liberia has been facing 14 years of Civil War that led to forced internal displacement and casualties.
Dilemma Action: Leymah Gbowee organized a well-publicized sex strike to end Liberia’s brutal civil war. Leymah was instrumental in mobilizing Liberian women against President Charles Taylor. Gbowee’s grassroots organizing paved the way for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—the first elected female president in Africa. Leymah Gbowee stated that the Liberian women would “take the destiny of Liberia into their own hands. According to her, unless women actively participated in the peace process, they would continue to be reaped and assaulted in Liberia’s civil war. Outcome: When asked by Huff Post whether sex strikes are an effective strategy to end wars, Leymah said: “It’s effective in the sense that it gets people’s attention. Sex is an exotic thing, and many people would say it’s a taboo subject. But when someone dares to bring it to the attention of the public, it has two results. People start saying, “Who’s this person doing this?” and they start asking why the person is using sex to highlight an issue. And it gets men thinking. There are a lot of good men out there! The percentage of men who wage war is very small. Good men outnumber evil men, but why are they silent? Our strategy helps the good men because it gives them a reason to take action. They start talking to their colleagues and beer buddies, saying “This war is wrong.” She further added: “…Every man is interested in the act of sex. We withheld sex from our spouses to get attention, and our husbands noticed what we were doing. We said, “We need you to take a stand.” And they did.” Overall, the sex strike proved to be successful since the Liberian warlords ended the conflict. Leymah received Nobel Peace Prize for strategically bringing an end to the strife and feuds. Following the sex strike, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace met with President Charles Taylor and ensured that he joined peace talks in Ghana with the rebels from Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and Movement for Democracy. Women activists accompanied Tay, or Ghama to participate in peace talks and pressurize Taylor further. Two hundred women activists even threatened to purposefully disrobe themselves if the peace proceedings did not continue. They demanded unless a piece solution was reached, no male delegate was to leave the room where the talks were going on. In a drastic move, they blocked all doors and exits. When Ellen Sirleaf finally won the Presidential election, she acknowledged the role of Leymah and her grassroots organization and hundred of women activists who mobilized Liberians towards a free and fair election. Thereafter, women’s rights issues became priorities with the new president.
Larger Campaign: The sex strike in Liberia was part of a larger campaign to end the civil war between different factions. This action helped in the further engagement of the protesters.