-As women colour hair restriction sparks concerns
By Mark N. Mengonfia mmenginfia@gmail.com
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, (MGCSP), has expressed serious concern about reports that female employees of the Ministry of Finance, and Development Planning, (MFDP) are being restricted from entering the building for wearing colored or unnatural hairs.
A local media outlet recently reported that a number of female employees of MFDP, are currently away from work, because they have been instructed to wear only ‘black colored-natural hair.’
According to section 7.4 of the Employee Handbook of the Ministry of Finance, it discourages the use of unnatural colored hair (such as Green, Pink, etc.) and extreme hairstyles.
Finance Minister Samuel Tweah
According to a release issued by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), the MGCSP firstly engaged authorities at the MFDP to firstly ascertain the veracity of the story and, if true – to constructively engage the MFDP on revisiting said policy
The release stated that the authorities of the MFDP confirmed to the Minister of Gender, Williametta Saydee-Tarr that the policy on hair color and styles were a part of their Employee Handbook published in 2014.
The release noted that the Gender Minister then encouraged the MFDP authorities to revisit said policy and ensure that an amended version is in conformity with this present government’s own agenda for the protection of women’s rights given the fact that both President Dr. George M. Weah and Min. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., are avowed He4She and women’s rights champions.
“This intervention is expected to yield some positive results as soon as possible, as MFDP was very responsive during the engagement,” the release noted.
It furthered that though the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection welcomes the setting up of internal workplace regulations, it seriously frowns on any kind of policy that discriminates against women.
The Decent Work Law of Liberia clearly defines discrimination as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Additionally, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, (MGCSP), calls on all public and private institutions to harmonize their policies in line with the National Code of Conduct and Decent Work Bill, and make necessary amendments, to avoid the violation of women’s rights.