Women Solidarity Incorporated (WOSI) with support from the Spotlight Initiative through the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights has concluded a three-day community level awareness and consultative training on human rights and national legislations relating to rights of women and girls in Goba Town, Todee District, Montserrado County.
The project titled “Strengthen Awareness on Legal Framework Related to Women and Girls in Liberia,” has been implemented in Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount and Nimba Counties.
The training which started on Wednesday, 16 December with an all-men session, continued on the 17th and 18th of December with women and youth sessions, respectively.
In a release issued over the weekend, the organizers said the training basically focused on the Rape Law and Domestic Violence Law, among others. The training brought together 150 participants from rural communities in Todee District, Upper Montserrado County.
The initiative focuses on curtailing violence against women and girls while increasing women’s access to justice and improving their ability to hold duty bearers accountable to respect, protect and fulfill their basic human rights. The project targets stakeholders in remote communities who have limited or no access to national human rights related laws.
Speaking at the start of the awareness and consultation in Goba Town, Women Solidarity Incorporated Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Prince W. Jallah says the project is intended to simplify laws relating to women and girls and conduct awareness and consultation on the three national women rights related instruments.
“Stakeholders will be educated on these three laws, provided copies of said laws and given the opportunity to critic the laws and make recommendations to support the revision, harmonization, amendment of the laws or the formulation of new laws in alignment with international human rights standard,” Mr. Jallah says.
Mr. Jallah continues that the awareness will also help empower women and girls to access the justice system while at the same time advocating for their rights.
“We are here actually to carry on awareness and consultation on these three basic national women’s rights laws to sensitize the women, men and the youth about these laws so that they know, understand and have access to these laws to enable them seek for justice whenever their rights are abused or violated,’’ Mr. Jallah explains further.
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According to him, lack of adequate information and access to these laws most especially the domestic violence and inheritance laws, are major factors for which most of the violence cases against women and girls are compromised in rural areas.
Mr. Jallah however calls on national government to help strengthen rule of law in the nation in order to address some of these issue in rural Liberia. In remark, one of the participants Madam Lydia Goba thanks the organizers for such a great initiative in their community.
She however appeals to the organization to continue with the awareness and consultation to reach more people and communities to improve the situation in rural areas “With what I learned here today, I will go and start the awareness in my home to educate them about violence against women and girls and to report any case of such, most especially the issue of rape,” Madam Goba says.
The Spotlight Initiative is a global multiyear partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030.
To achieve these goals on ending violence against women and girls in Liberia, the Spotlight Initiative is providing support and funds to Women Solidarity Incorporated through the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights.
Women Solidarity Incorporated is a national women’s rights civil society organization working for women to get and enjoy their rights in Liberia.
The institution is also working to alleviate abuse and exploitation of women and girls as well as provide them with opportunities that enable them rebuild their lives and cater to their families and contribute to communities.—Press release
