PHOTO: People participating in the dialogue
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
The Liberian NGOs Network (LINNK) in collaboration with EU Spotlight Initiative has concluded a dialogue and experience sharing on ending violence against women and girls urgently in Lofa and Ninba Counties respectively.
The dialogue and experience sharing meeting, which was held in Voinjama City on May 18-21, 202 in Nimba County, brought together Traditional leaders, the Liberia National Police, the joint security and Civil Society Organizations.
The Liberian NGOs Network is currently implementing the Spotlight Initiative project in five counties including Montserrado, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa and Nimba Counties working with Traditional leaders, the Liberia National Police, the joint security and CSOs in these countries.
Speaking at the dialogue and experience sharing in both Voinjama and Ganta Nimba Cities, LINNK National Chairman Stephen B. Norman said, the dialogue was all about violence against women and girls in Liberia and how Liberians can put to an end these forms of violence in the Country.
According to Mr. Norman, the experience sharing is interested to bring Peace between the Police and the traditional leaders in dealing with sexual and gender based violence against women and girls in the Country by collectively working in putting to an end these violence.
He noted that the awareness is also interested to educate participants about domestic violence, the rape law and FGM on how Liberians can stop it.
“I am not saying that the Police and the traditional leaders are fighting war, no. We have observed that there are mixed views, where the Traditional leaders don’t understand the Police and the Police too don’t understand the traditional leaders in dealing with these cases. We understand that there is a gap between the Police and the traditional leaders in understanding these issue,” Mr. Norman said.
The EU spotlight initiative and the United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights have been commended for such a great opportunity to Liberia.
“I want you to put your hands together for the EU spotlight initiative for the project which hundred and fifty Civil Society Organizations benefiting and implementing the projects in Liberia,” the LINNK official said.
The LINNK National Chairman however assure participants that their recommendations will be submitted on June forth to EU Spotlight Initiative for action on how Liberia can end sexual and gender based violence especially rape, domestic violence and FGM among others.
Norman however called on the EU Spotlight Initiative to kindly consider and include others counties that are not part of the current project.
The acting Lofa County Police Commander, Colonel Bob. L. Jackson commended the organizers for such information noting that the dialogue and information sharing very important and will work with traditional leaders in dealing with these issues.
“We are not master but we are sarvant now, the dialogue and information sharing make us to know our limit as officers and who to contact, whenever there are violence against women and girls especially when it’s based on tradition,” Col. Jackson noted.
The participants however called on the traditional leaders not to get involved in criminal issues that is with the Police.
Both participants from Voinjama and Ganta recommend that traditional bush be far from town, “mama, i am pleading with you let the traditional bush be out of the time and suspend all traditional activities during regular school activities.
For her Voinjama City Mayor Korto Harris urged both Police and the Traditional leaders to collaboratively work together and make peace in resolving cases like domestic violence.
“I have always see the traditional people fighting the Police on some of this case I i think is bad, Let us work together to sustain after knowing our various limits,” Mayor Harris said.
In Ganta Nimba County, the Chairman of Nimba County Traditional Council Chief Peter Barloun said the issue of human rights has affected and continue to destroyed the society.
” For me the issue of human rights I call it human wrong not human rights in Liberia because it has coust our children not to obey their parents and other leaders in the Country” Chief Barloun explained.
The traditional group however recommended that issue concerning tradition at County, district and clan level, the National traditional council chair for the county, district and Clean, traditional heads should be contacted first before taking any action.
Chief Barloun at the same time called on groups and Individuals who are in the hobbit of exposing the tradition to desist nothing that they will deal with individual who expose them.
“We will deal with you if you expose our tradition if you don’t like it go but do not expose our tradition,” he concluded.
Participants in both Counties mainly from the CSOs and the Police urged traditional leaders not to keep rape cases under cover.
“We want a law where local leader will not intimidate the Police while carrying out our functions but rather we want them help us with information that are necessary to said investigation,” the Police official said.