By M. Neywon Mengonfia, Contributing Writer Cell #: +231 776105060/+231 888105060)
Some 545 cases involving women and children have been handled through mediation by the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) from 2016-2017, the President of the group disclosed at the weekend.
Atty. Vivian D. Neal, President of AFELL made the disclosure at the start of a two day retreat and mediation training of female lawyers in Bentol City outside Monrovia on Friday.
The AFELL president attributed their success to hard work.
As a result, the Female Lawyers Association have been granted UNDP / UNMIL joint project to mediate more cases and seek legal redress for women, children and indignant persons in court for a period of a year.
“Our members are encouraged to come at the office whenever they are available to assist with some of the mediation and legal representation at court,” Atty. Neal added.
Through the European Union, AFELL is seeking speedy trial for women and youths in prison, particularly in Nimba, Bong and Lofa Counties.
“We also giving awareness on sexual gender based violence in those areas” the AFELL President said.
On the issue of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Atty. Neal quoted statistics as saying that from January to September 2017, a total of 892 Sexual and Gender Based Violence cases were reported.
The Female Lawyers Association’s President said that out of the total 892 SGBV cases, 506 are rape cases while 475 involved children.
“The public looks to us as one of the leading organizations in minimizing and bringing this unwholesome practice to an end,” the AFELL President told her fellow female lawyers, stressing that “our practice behooves us to help find remedy to those problems.”
The two-day Bentol City retreat of female lawyers grew out of their desire to come together as stakeholders to discuss the well-being of their Association.
The AFELL President also said that the retreat was intended to review and reassess the Association’s mandate, in order to chart a new course for the future.
“This retreat is also aimed at reawakening the spirit which gave rise to the funding of AFELL. It is evident to me that the mutual trust and friendship that existed at the funding of our organization is no longer as strong as it was. This is understandable due to the fact that most of us have assumed new roles which are demanding and leave little room for our commitment to the organization,” Atty. Neal told her fellow female lawyers.
Also speaking at the retreat, Liberia’s former Chief Justice, Cllr. Francis Johnson-Allison reminded female lawyers about the reasons for which they came into being.
Cllr. Johnson-Allison spoke strongly against complacency on the part of AFELL and encouraged the group to build on the gains they have made over the years.
According to the former Liberian female Chief Justice, as female lawyers they should also focus on mediation as one of the surest ways in helping to reduce the number of cases on the dockets in various courts.
Mr. Jamel Liverpool and Cllr. Abla G. Williams made presentations on the issue of mediation at the Bentol retreat of AFELL.