By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, – The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has called on the National Legislature to ratify the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, following Liberia’s recent signing as a state party. This crucial step would transform the agreement into binding national law and trigger much-needed reforms to protect Liberian women and girls from widespread gender-based violence.
In a statement issued Tuesday, AFELL noted that the ratification of the instrument will show the intentional commitment of the State for the implementation of the convention and other international human rights instruments to which Liberia is a state Party.
AFELL First Vice President Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley emphasized the urgent need for legislative action, noting that violence against women and girls remains pervasive across all sectors of Liberian society. She highlighted disturbing manifestations of this violence including physical and sexual abuse, psychological trauma, economic exploitation, child marriage, and the deeply entrenched practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The legal advocate stressed that ratification would demonstrate Liberia’s serious commitment to implementing both this convention and other international human rights instruments to which the country is party. Cllr. Kelley explained that the convention specifically addresses the root causes of gender-based violence while strengthening legal protections and institutional responses. It would mandate the creation of specialized support systems for survivors and promote a culture of respect for women’s rights and dignity.
Current statistics paint a grim picture of the challenges Liberian women face. Nearly half of all women experience intimate partner violence, while 38 percent of girls undergo FGM before reaching adulthood. Child marriage affects about one in five Liberian girls, with these harmful practices often justified by traditional beliefs.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the House of Representatives ratified the Act to Ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights following a report from its Joint Committee on Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Good Governance & Government Reform.
The decision came following the reading of the House’s Joint Committee report, which was followed by a motion from River Gee County District #1 Representative Alexander Poure that the committee’s report be accepted. “I move that the report be accepted and all the recommendations contained therein, be accepted and forwarded to the Senate for concurrence,” he said.
The motion was unanimously accepted. The House Joint Committee on Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Good Governance & Government Reform Committees recommended, among other things, the need for the rectification of the protocol. The instrument now heads to the Liberian Senate for concurrence. Liberia signed the protocol in June 1998.
If the Senate concurs with the House’s decision, the ratification process would involve several key steps. First, relevant legislative committees would review the document, likely including the Judiciary and Gender committees. Following committee approval, both houses of the National Legislature would debate the convention in plenary session. Final ratification would then require implementing legislation to align Liberia’s domestic laws with the treaty’s provisions.
AFELL points to the 2021 ratification of the Maputo Protocol as a successful precedent. That action led to concrete legal reforms, including stronger anti-rape laws. The association warns that delaying action on this new convention would undermine Liberia’s human rights progress and leave thousands of women and girls vulnerable.
Established in 1994, AFELL has a long history of advocating for women’s rights through landmark cases. These include a 2022 Supreme Court decision on spousal property rights, a 2023 class action addressing police failures in rape cases, and ongoing constitutional challenges to FGM practices. The organization remains committed to its founding principles of independence, impartiality, and accountability under its motto “Equal rights under the law.”
