By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I 

The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection in conjunction with partners on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, convened a reflective engagement with the women of Liberia to recognize the gender-responsive development agendas which will help ensure that women and girls have equal access to education, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The dialogue which was held at the Ellen Johnson SirleafMinisterial Complex seeks to allow women to better exercise their voice, and as well enhance the realization of women and girls’ rights and freedoms to contribute to economic growth and equitable development by harnessing the full potential of all Liberians.

The day-long dialogue came as a follow-up to the Ministry of Gender meeting with the President, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with support from partners, to address the need for strengthening the collaboration and coordination amongst women and create a platform for a more coordinated, and a reflection of setting out a clear objective, to identify the thematic areas of concern in the ARREST Agenda.  

In furtherance, the dialogue seeks to also provide the space for Liberian women to make meaningful inputs, and design appropriate strategies, as well as put mechanisms in place to address their issues of concern. 

Institutionalizing women’s interests in all areas and sectors of policy at all levels has become a worldwide concern and must be prioritized, as they become the driving force to achieve equitable sustainable development.

The women in their “Call to Action” intimated that their call is to build a fairer and more just Liberia where everyone can contribute to and benefit from development equally.

They asserted that to promote Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, there must be an increased capacity and commitment to gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) across sectors and implement the National GRB Policy by investing and supporting women’s organizations and associations and protecting civic space for women’s human rights defenders.

They further called on the government to adopt and implement laws and policies to end harmful practices including female genital mutilation including alternative livelihoods in affected communities and invest in adult literacy programs targeting rural women and girls and train women and girls to use technology and equipment to prepare for the future workforce.

The “Call to Action” continued by calling on the national government and policymakers to strengthen reproductive health and rights information and services by improving access to family planning services and establishing a maternal and neonatal death review office or mechanism.  It wants the government to create social protection measures such as childcare services to reduce the burden of unpaid domestic work which negatively affects women’s participation across sectors.

Therefore, they want a percentage of the county development funds to be allocated to providing contribution funding for essential SGBV response services, such as safe homes, one-stop centers, and survivor support within all counties, and integrate this commitment into the county development agenda. Amongst others, they called on the government to repel the Public Health Law that addresses women’s reproductive health and rights, as well as legal quotas to promote gender parity in politics, executive, and judicial leadership. 

The call asserted that the implementation and enforcement of the Land Rights Law and Local Government Act will ensure the rights and representation of women by providing legal aid, and support services, and establishing survivor support funds so the victims and  survivors of GBV can access justice.  The call seeks to allocate adequate funding for safe homes and other temporary shelters and Women and Children Protection Sections of the Liberia National Police by publicizing budget allocations to WACPS and other GBV protection and response services.

Moreover, the Call to Action for Gender Responsiveness in the new County Development Agendas and National Development Plan is to seek the implementation of Liberia’s several international treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women which requires Liberia as a State Party to take concrete measures to address discrimination and prejudice and to guarantee the human rights and freedoms of women and girls, including equal representation in political and public life, education, employment, health, economic and social benefits, legal protections and access to justice, among others.

Liberia has also ratified regional treaties such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (“The Maputo Protocol”). 

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