PHOTO: Vice President Jewel Taylor speaking in Monrovia
Liberia’s Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has stressed the need for tougher sentences for violators of gender-based violence (SGBV), in order to send a strong and clear signal that violating the rights of women will no more be tolerated in this country.
She said her office has received reports that some personalities in government and the private sectors are demanding sex before employment of women in some public and private institutions.
The Chairman of the ruling party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mulbah K. Morlu some time ago said in a leaked audio that the CDC Standard Bearer, President George Weah was involved in similar practice.
Vice President Taylor spoke at the beginning of a two-day national colloquium on sexual and gender based violence held at the Monrovia City Hall.
Mr. Morlu at the time accused the Liberian leader of being in the habit of demanding sex from females before appointed them into his government, since he took office on January 22 2018. But under pressure, the CDC Chairman, who did not denied that he made the claims, described his statement as “liquor talk”.
At the City Hall forum this week, the Liberian Vice President called on the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice to be more robust in dealing with SGBV cases in the country.
She said no matter how loaded the dockets of the courts are, there is no way people should be compromised because rape cases because are crimes against the state.
Madam Taylor also proposed punitive laws be introduced for parents who deliberately use the female children purposely to sell themselves for funds and gifts from older men.
Cross-section of participants who attended the forum
In remarks, the Chairperson of the board of Directors of the Women Empowerment for Self Employment, Grace Scotland-Briamah, disclosed that the colloquium is intended to seek solution to the problems of gender based violence in Liberia.
According to her, the national colloquium is intended to bring all stakeholders together purposely to discuss the high rate of gender-based violence prevailing in the country, discuss the challenges and advance proposals aimed at addressing them
Also speaking, the Human Rights Officer at the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, Leetor Williams welcomed the holding of a national colloquium comprising of stakeholders to create awareness on the judicial process in combating the gender-based violence in the country
She added that the UN human rights office is delighted because the conference will discuss harmful practices and enhance the applications of laws to nib gender-based violence out of the country.
During the colloquium, stakeholders discussed different dimensions of sexual and gender-based violence, social and cultural practices of sexual and gender based violence, rape and early marriage .
Other topics discussed at the colloquium, were customary and statutory laws, response and referral pathway, civil society response among many others.
The national colloquium, which brought together legal practitioners, human rights activists, heads of women organizations, was held under the theme: Increases Awareness on the Judicial Process to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence in Liberia; Best Practices, Challenges and Lessons Learnt .”
The colloquium was organized by the Women Empowerment for Self Employment, with support from the Officer of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the European Union -United Nations Spotlight Initiative. Report by Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com