By Ibrahim A. Sherif
MONROVIA, Sept. 30 (LINA) —For some Liberian women, the inability to have children has become more than a personal struggle.
It has brought accusations, rejection, painful experiences in marriage and, in some cases, isolation from the very communities and families where they once expected to find support.
Antonetta K. Benson (Not her real Name), a woman from Grand Bassa County, who has explained her ordeal to the Liberia News Agency, lamenting that her years of childlessness and accusations of witchcraft activities have left her living in difficult conditions in Monrovia, where she sometimes struggles to find food and sleeps on the floor because she does not have a mattress.
Benson, who does not know her exact age, told the Liberia News Agency that her brother brought her to Monrovia after she became ill while living in Grand Bassa and began experiencing severe stomach pain.
She said that while in her community, people accused her of being a witch and claimed that she had “eaten” her children.
Benson said she believes her inability to have children was caused by an aunt who, according to her belief, used witchcraft to “lock” her womb.
She said those beliefs contributed to the stigma she experienced and made people associate her childlessness with the death or loss of children.
After coming to Monrovia, Benson narrated that she lived with her brother and helped care for his children, some of whom are now in their 30s and 40s.
However, she disclosed living alone and no longer receives the support she expected from the children she helped raise.
“My brother gave me a room, but I don’t even have a mattress. I sleep on the floor,” Benson said.
Her brother, who is currently outside Liberia, has helped her in the past, she said, but he is unable to provide regular assistance because of his own difficulties.
Benson said she sometimes depends on neighbors for food and small amounts of money to sustain herself.
She mourned that the situation became more difficult when she got ill, on the grounds that she still had to fetch water and prepare food for herself.
She also alleged that some members of her brother’s household have accused her of being a witch and do not treat her with respect.
Benson is now appealing to women’s organizations, government institutions and humanitarian groups for assistance, including medical care and support to improve her living conditions.
For her, the issue is no longer only about the pain of not having children, but also about survival.
“I want help to get medical care and basic things to live,” she said.
A Marriage Marked by Childlessness; Princess Kamara (Not her real name) said she spent more than 30 years married without having children.
Kamara said she sought medical help during her marriage, but there was no clear medical explanation for why she did not conceive.
Despite the uncertainty, she and her husband continued to hope that she would eventually have a child until his death.
Kamara said her inability to have children became a painful part of her marriage and exposed her to stigma from people around her.
She said she was not pleased when her husband married another woman, but remained in the marriage because she loved him.
Kamara said her husband later married the widow of his late older brother, who already had children.
The woman eventually had two children with Kamara’s husband.
Dolley said she helped care for the children, although they did not fully accept her as their mother.
Raised as a Christian, Kamara said she converted to Islam and underwent circumcision after marrying her Muslim husband.
She said her family had warned her about marrying a Muslim man from a different religious and cultural background, but she chose the relationship because of love.
She said she experienced stigma from people around her because she had no children, including indirect comments and accusations about her inability to give birth.
Two years ago, following her husband’s death, Kamara said she relocated to Moussadou, Guinea, to stay with her husband’s family.
She said the move was difficult because she was born and raised in Liberia and had to adjust to living in a place with which she was unfamiliar.
Her story reflects another dimension of infertility stigma: the uncertainty and emotional pressure that can continue for decades when a woman is unable to conceive.
Infertility Is Not Only a Woman’s Problem, Grace Weah, a midwife and owner of Nicole Medical Clinic, said she understands the pain of infertility personally after spending five years in her marriage without having a child.
Weah said that during that period, people began blaming her for not having children instead of considering that infertility can involve either partner.
According to her, society often places the responsibility for having children mainly on women, even when both the woman and the man may need medical examination.
“As a woman, there are a lot of things society blames women for,” Weah said.
She said her personal experience has made her concerned about women who face similar treatment.
As a midwife who has worked in the medical field for more than 20 years, Weah said she has seen the pressure women experience when they are unable to have children.
“I feel so terrible when women are solely blamed for not bringing children, when both couples should be tested to know exactly what the problem is,” she said.
Weah said infertility should therefore be approached as an issue involving both partners rather than automatically being placed on the woman.
She continues to work with women and families through Nicole Medical Clinic.
Calls for Greater Awareness; Vickjune Wutoh, a gender equality activist with the Initiative for Youth Empowerment and Economic Development (IYEED), said infertility stigma should be addressed through greater public awareness.
Wutoh said women are often unfairly blamed when they cannot have children.
“I think the infertility stigma is something that we should just get rid of by creating more awareness that the woman’s body, not everyone will give birth,” she said.
She added that fertility problems can involve different factors, including a woman’s eggs and the male partner’s sperm.
Her comments reinforce the argument that infertility should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that a woman is responsible for a couple’s inability to have children.
A Neglected Reproductive Health Need The experiences of Benson, Kamara and Weah come against a broader reproductive health concern in Liberia.
According to findings cited by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Liberia, the needs of individuals who desire to conceive have been overlooked, even though one in five women aged 40–49 remains childless.
The UNFPA finding also points to differences in childlessness across sociodemographic groups and notes that disability plays a role, with childlessness particularly prevalent among women with communication and self-care disabilities.
The report argues that reproductive health efforts should not focus only on contraception, but should also include infertility care, even in countries where fertility rates remain relatively high.
The findings raise questions about how much attention is being given to women and couples who want children but are unable to conceive.
For women like Benson and Kamara, the issue is not simply statistics; It is a lived experience that can affect marriage, family relationships, social acceptance and economic well being.
Attempts to Get Official Response As part of this investigation, the Liberia News Agency reached out several times to Meeko Kenkpen, who graduated from a training program sponsored by the Merck Foundation in India, seeking her response and perspective on infertility-related issues.
Despite several messages, no response was received before publication.
A letter was also sent to the Ministry of Health requesting information and a response on infertility-related issues.
The Ministry had not responded by the time of publication.
The lack of response leaves unanswered questions about the availability of infertility services, public awareness efforts and the support available to women and couples experiencing infertility in Liberia.
Beyond the Blame for years, infertility has often been treated as a private family matter, with women frequently carrying the burden of blame.
But the experiences of women interviewed for this investigation show that the consequences can extend far beyond the inability to conceive.
Benson is struggling to meet basic needs while living alone in Monrovia.
Kamara spent more than three decades hoping to become a mother while navigating the pressures of marriage, stigma and loss.
Weah says she personally experienced the pain of being blamed before becoming an advocate for a more balanced approach to infertility.
Together, their stories raise a broader question about whether women facing infertility in Liberia are receiving the medical care, social support and protection from stigma they need.
For Benson, the answer remains urgent. She is not only asking for an explanation for her childlessness. She is asking for help to live.
This story is produced in line with the objectives of the Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” campaign and its Africa Media Recognition Awards, which seek to raise awareness about infertility stigma and promote understanding that infertility can affect both women and men.