By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
The Liberian government and its partners must make the four DNA machines functional in the fight SGBV cases, the He For She Crusaders Liberia has said.
He For She Crusaders Liberia is a nongovernmental, nonpolitical male-led organization, which says it has intensified campaigns on ending Violence Against Women, girls, and Marginalized groups in Liberia.
The group is at the same time promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment as well as Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights as part of its campaign.
He for She Crusaders Liberia is a national male led organ organization-granted by the West Africa Peacebuilding Network under the Spotlight Initiative through UN Women to increase awareness through direct mail and boys) engagements in Liberia.
Speaking at the kick-off of the campaign in Grand Cape Mount County recently, the County Chapter Coordinator of He For She Crusaders Liberia Rev. Fr. Richard Boakai Kpehe, encouraged males to consider positive masculinity and fatherhood as a mechanism through which violence can be reduced and or eradicated.
Some of the male students attending the program
According to him, “violence is associated with power dynamics noting that men are afraid to share their power and authority with females, something he observed wrong. If we must co-exist, we men and boys must understand that women and girls have rights like us.”
“We have daughters, sisters and wives, if we don’t protect, promote and afford them the opportunity now, tell me, who do we expect to do it for them?”. He said.
The Founder and National Coordinator of He For She Crusaders Liberia Mr. Tamba Forkpah Jedidiah Johnson, a human rights a vast, extended thanks to the EU/UN Spotlight Initiative through UN Women and WANEP for considering He For She Crusaders Liberia and other institutions to intensify boys and men engagements in Liberia.
According to Mr. Johnson, the awareness will be conducted in 50 communities within 5 counties, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cape Mount, and Montserrado.
“An estimated 3,500 more men and boys in schools and communities are to be reached through peer to peer engagements, outreaches, and m, media engagements”. Mr. Johnson further mentioned that
Mr. Johnson, however, we named the 30 percent mandatory for political parties to have 30 percent women representation, but crowns on the increment of registration fees from US500 to US7500 as an unrealistic initiative.
“This decision is a clever attempt to further marginalized and prevent desirable female f m vying/contesting for representative ad senatorial offices come 2023 and beyond,” Mr. Johnson noted.
According to him, they welcome news to have increased women’s political participation, but he said, “equally so, if we are not mindful, very soon, we will have women voices being silent/missing from decision making at parliament due to the 300 percent increment in registration”.
Mr. Johnson used the occasion call on civil society organizations, mostly women’s, to look outside the box and join the advocacy for the reduction of fees.
He believed that I human rights activists become silent now, there would be an all-male parliament in the soonest time.
The human rights activist also reminded the President of Liberia, George Manneh Weah including developing partners to consider making the four DNA machines in the Country functional.
“If we must win the fight against SGBV, we need to have functional machines to speed up our processes, as such, rape suspects will have their rights protected,” Mr. Johnson said.
The He For She Crusaders Liberia has appreciated the efforts of the Liberian government’s SGBV Task force through the donations of vehicles and motorbikes, however,
The of the group has called on CSO and He For She Crusaders Liberia members in various counties to monitor the government compliance and usages of those items in responding to SGBV cases.
At One occasion, 50 boys from five schools in Robertstports, including 25 community and religious leaders, and county authorities were in attendance.
For his part, a proxy from the Cape Mount County Development Superintendent thanked He For She Crusaders Liberia for their initiative pointing to the fact that the County is in line with putting a spotlight on SGBV.