By Bridgett Milton
As the world celebrates International Day of the Girl, a group of Liberian girls under the banner Girls Alliance for Future Leadership is calling on the Government of Liberia to make National Identification Cards free of charge for all girls that will turn 18 years between now and 2023.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, 11 October 2021, the advocacy officer Kadiatu Bah said free National Identity Cards should be a right for all young people between the ages of 18 and 25, and to also include birth certificates and every paperwork associated with getting the National Identification Card.
She said they are going to rally young people to build the momentum of the female electorate in 2023.
She noted that they are not a political party and they will not align themselves with any politician or political institution, noting that they are girls working to boost women’s participation in the electoral process.
Kadiatu explained that in 2005, former President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf became the first woman to serve as president of the Republic of Liberia, adding that it was by every indication a significant achievement for women not only in Liberia but across the globe.
She noted that currently Liberians have a female Vice President, Madam Jewel Howard – Taylor, but Liberian women are still disproportionately outmatched by their male counterparts in the Executive and Legislature.
Kadiatu lamented that there is no doubt about the downside or impact of this continuing reality that all legislations that are favorable to women or women issues allegedly get killed in committee rooms or defeated on the floor of both chambers.
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‘’Since numbers are the centerpiece of democratic maneuvers in every democracy, women have to step up. We believe we have the votes to make that happen,’’ Kadiatu noted.
The group also announced an 18+1 action committee for the 2023 presidential and general elections. She said every day and in almost every community across this country a girl child turns 18 years and is eligible to vote in the election.–Edited by Winston W. Parley
