The Population Council, in partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action and the World Bank, conducted a randomized controlled trial of the International Rescue Committee’s Girl Empower (GE) program, which seeks to help thirteen to fourteen year-old girls make healthy life choices, decrease their risk of sexual abuse, and improve school attendance rates. Results of the baseline study show that rates of sexual abuse experienced by young adolescent girls are among the highest in the region, with nearly four in ten rural girls aged thirteen to fourteen in Nimba County, Liberia having experienced some form of abuse. Twenty-nine percent reported having ever been touched in a sexual way without their permission, almost half indicated having experienced physical abuse, such as being hit or kicked, and 87% of sexually experienced respondents indicated not using a condom at last intercourse. These baseline findings provide important evidence of the risks of sexual violence among young adolescent girls and will allow the team to evaluate the degree to which participation in the year-long Girl Empower program significantly affects instances of sexual abuse and exploitation.