Monrovia-Liberia-–Liberia’s first female Vice President Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor has addressed the 10th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights currently ongoing in Freetown, the Republic of Sierra Leone, according to a dispatch from the Office of the Vice President of Liberia.
At the invitation of Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, First lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Vice President served as Keynote Speaker and Grand Chief Patron of this unique conference, which ran from June 29-July 1, 2022
In her brilliant exposition, the Vice President lamented that “Enough is Enough” and called on her male counterparts to change their mindsets and perceptions, embrace the idea of inclusion and see women as partners.
She further argued that women make up about 50% of the population across Africa, and an attempt to exclude women will deny the continent 50% of its human resources and potential.
The Vice President intimated that the actualization of Sexual Health and Rights would require eliminating the three most critical areas of abuse, namely Female Genital Mutilation, Child Marriage, and Gender-based Violence of both psychological and physical proportions.
Vice President Howard-Taylor proffered that the solutions to the menace of the abuse of sexual health and rights are hinged on the need for Strong Political Will to dismantle the male-dominated power hegemony and the dramatic transformation of a mindset that accepts the equality paradigm as the best way forward.
She concluded that the stories are horrendous, and any civilized society should no longer tolerate the psychological effects on the remaining 50% of the Human Race.
Madam Vice President shared the platform with His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi, UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, Dr. Uwemedimo Esiet, Co-Founder and Director, Action Health Incorporated, amongst others.
The 10th African Conference is organized by the Purposeful Organization under the patronage of Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, First lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
On the theme: ” Accelerating the Elimination of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Africa, “the conference brings together more than 900 participants from about 41 countries in Africa and across the world; to discuss issues of sexual health, human rights, gender-based violence, and the empowerment of women and youth.
While in Freetown, the Vice President will hold discussions with His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, the first lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, her counterpart Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, members of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, some officials of the Government of Sierra Leone, the business community, and Liberian students and organizations based in Sierra Leone.