FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – Speaking before the Sierra Leone Parliament on the International Day of the Girl Child, Liberia’s former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, framed Sierra Leone’s recent passage of groundbreaking gender equality laws not just as a national achievement, but as a pivotal moment for women and girls across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
She spoke under the 2025 theme, “The Girl I Am and the Change We Lead — Confronting Gender-Based Violence and Championing Inclusive Governance,” Howard Taylor The event, convened by First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio and organized by the Kids Advocacy Network, served as a stage for a poignant reflection on the slow, often contentious march toward gender parity in the region. For Howard Taylor, the hallowed halls of the Sierra Leone Parliament were familiar ground, evoking memories of a previous visit that was as challenging as it was prophetic.
“In July 2022, I had an opportunity to join my voice with many others… to advocate for the passage of the Gender Equality Bill which was in discussion then at this Parliament,” Howard Taylor recounted. “As I rose to speak that day… I recall a particular voice echoing from a corner of the room saying, ‘What is she doing here? She should go and pass that bill in the Liberian Parliament first!’”
The barb, she admitted, was one familiar to a woman who spent twelve years in the Liberian legislature. Yet, rather than dissuading her, it solidified her mission. She acknowledged the painful truth in the taunt—that Liberia had not, and still has not, passed its own long-awaited Gender Equity Bill.
“But my appeal remained steadfast: that the hopes of women across ECOWAS rested with the Members of the Sierra Leone Parliament,” she stated. “I pleaded that if Sierra Leone would be the first in our region to pass this law, it would set the pace for others.”
Her plea did not fall on deaf ears. She commended the Parliament and His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for their courage in passing and signing the laws, a move that drew a standing ovation from the assembled dignitaries, activists, and girls.
From Sierra Leone’s Victory to Liberia’s Promise
The core of Howard Taylor’s speech was a masterclass in diplomatic grace and strategic advocacy. By celebrating Sierra Leone’s success, she implicitly cast a light on Liberia’s unfinished business, transforming a potential point of national embarrassment into a catalyst for hope and action.
“The decision taken here last year has indeed opened the door for others to follow,” she declared, revealing a significant development. “For today, as the 55th National Legislature of Liberia continues its deliberations, they have taken cue from the Sierra Leonian Parliament and are working on a version for passage for Gender Equality across all sectors of Government.”
This statement reframed the entire narrative. The critic’s question from 2022—“What is she doing here?”—found its answer in 2025. She was there not as an outsider, but as a witness to a proven model, a regional leader building a bridge of legislative progress from Freetown to Monrovia. Her presence underscored that the fight for women’s rights does not stop at national borders.
Empowering the Girl Child as Architects of Change
Linking this political victory to the day’s theme, Howard Taylor argued that legal frameworks are the bedrock upon which the empowerment of girls is built. She connected the high-level political advocacy to the lived reality of the girl child, for whom confronting gender-based violence and championing inclusive governance are daily battles.
“This is a topic that resonates deeply with me — not only as a woman and mother, but as an African Female leader who believes passionately in the transformative power of girls to confront these challenges,” she said.
She imbued the theme, “The Girl I Am and the Change I Lead,” with a sense of urgent agency. According to her, the laws passed in parliaments are not endpoints. They are tools, enabling a new generation to lead the change they wish to see, secure in the knowledge that their state protects their right to do so.
