Like so many in Liberia's long and gruesome civil war, the true number will never be known, but it's estimated that 30-40% of the combatants were women and girls. Illiteracy, chaos, and brutality prevented all but a few from partaking in ...See moreLike so many in Liberia's long and gruesome civil war, the true number will never be known, but it's estimated that 30-40% of the combatants were women and girls. Illiteracy, chaos, and brutality prevented all but a few from partaking in UN-sponsored disarmament programs. These young women witnessed and participated in unspeakable violence, and were almost universally and brutally raped. How do societies and individuals heal the profound psychic wounds such acts inflict? Jonathan Stack's intimate journey with them captures the courage and dignity with which these women seek their own path to forgiveness and redemption - to, in the words of one, "become a human being". Written by
Mara Batlin
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