Several female aspirants have benefited from a Joint Role Model Gender Empowerment Training for Women’s Political Participation ahead of the 2023 elections. The training was organized by Sister’s Hand Liberia and aimed at increasing women’s participation in leadership at all echelons of the democratic process.
The One Joint Role Model Gender Empowerment Training for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership held during the week is part of the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund -funded project aimed at empowering the women of Liberia to address the physical, social, and emotional challenges brought upon them by the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The event brought together women political aspirants and community leaders from Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, and Grand Gedeh Counties to narrate their stories on the different forms of humiliations, intimidations, and disadvantages confronting them since declaring ambitions in the electoral process.
Accordingly, the training also seeks to establish local platforms, develop policies, and strengthen the capacity of women’s rights groups and social movements. It will also lead to the advancement of women’s empowerment in the electoral process and promote gender equality across political institutions.
Women in Politics:
There have been increasing concerns from rights groups, international partners, media, and CSOs over the limited representation of women in the active politics of Liberia. The majority of the women population are either seen as cooks, caterers, and caretakers during political events, and on many occasions, they are prevented from partaking in decision-making.
Women continue to face challenges across the country due to the alleged failure of the government to identify and implement strategies to knock down the numbers of women and men in national governance and decision-making.
Additionally, the disadvantages of traditional and cultural norms have greatly affected gender equality in all aspects of the country.
For example, the current Liberian Legislature constitutes a total of seventy-three (73) representatives and thirty (30) senators. There are only nine females in the House of Representatives, and two females in the Senate which constitutes 13.5% of legislators in the 54th National Legislature. At the level of the Executive, there are a little over five female ministers in the cabinet and the under-representation is across local government.
The Joint Role Model Gender Empowerment Training
Alpha Kamara is the Program Director of Sister’s Hand Liberia and the Lead Focus Person for the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund under UN Women Liberia. Kamara said the training was reached following a comprehensive survey done by Sister’s Hand Liberia and the Center for Peace and Security Studies.
He said the survey identified that women face several obstacles to participating in politics including structural barriers, discriminatory laws, and the continued practice of political institutions to limit women’s options to run for office.
Kamara disclosed that there exists a huge capacity gap among females as compared to male counterparts in access to education and resources needed to become effective leaders. He maintained that the situation has compelled most women to abandon their ambitions.
It is important to consider that the 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on women’s political participation informed the world that, “women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalized from the political sphere, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices, attitudes, and gender stereotypes, low levels of education, lack of access to health care and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women”.
Kamara noted that the situation has become extremely challenging, especially for female aspirants in Liberia. “Women are underrepresented in leading positions both elected, civil service, and the private sector despite failing to consider their unmatched and proven abilities as leaders and change-makers” Kamara added.
At the end of the training, participants are encouraged to return to their various constituencies to establish local platforms, develop policies, and strengthen the capacity of women’s rights groups and social movements. They are also encouraged to promote gender equality across their various terrains.
What Are Participants Saying?
The participants are lauding the efforts of Sister’s Hand Liberia and UN Women for the initiative.
Evangeline Israel King (Ann Genie) is a former Senatorial candidate of Montserrado County and is optimistic about contesting in the ensuing elections scheduled for October this year.
For Madam King, the downward trend in women’s political representation is attributed to the numerous obstacles and barriers brought upon them by their male counterparts, and the need to challenge those barriers cannot be over stated.
She added that the training has also empowered her to develop new ideas to address future stereotypes, especially during the campaign era. She, therefore, appealed to Sister’s Hand and UN Women to expand the initiative to more women community leaders and aspirants.
