Monrovia – In an effort to advance women’s human rights and engender Liberia’s ongoing security sector reform process, medica Liberia (mL) in partnership with the government of Liberia with support from United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP) ended a one-day project kickoff workshop with different security establishment operating in the country.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
The workshop which brought together personnel from Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Ministry of Defense (MOD) , Liberia National Police (LNP) , Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), the Liberia National Police (LNP), Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR) and Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LINCSA) amongst others to discuss and develop a clear road map for project implementation.
The one-day project kickoff workshop is expected to direct the partnership between medica Liberia and UNDP as well as the government of Liberia.
Speaking at the workshop, medica Liberia country representative Caroline Brown said the gender strengthening workshop is intended to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the growth of female in security institutions.
Madam Brown noted that women who share a greater number of the country population need to be given the opportunity in various security institutions.
“We have recognized the gap within the security sector which to a larger extent has excluded the participation and inclusion of women in the security sector. We know that women also make a sizable portion of the population of the country so, it is also important that women’s needs, and interest are prioritized during the ongoing security reform process”.
“This workshop is the beginning of a project intended to build capacity of security institutions in gender and security sector reform”, she stated.
She noted that under the partnership, medical Liberia will work with major security institutions in the country for a period of six months to implement the project entitled, “Strengthening Capacity for Gender Responsive in Security Institutions”.
Giving the background of the project, UNDP program Analyst James P. Monibah said the six-month engagement with security actors in the country is UNDP way of reminding the government of Liberia about the resolution signed between them and the United Nations on the promotion of women in all sectors of government.
He used the occasion to urge the government of Liberia to create an environment within the security sector that accommodate both male and female.
He, at the same time called on the participants at the workshop to encourage Gender equality at their various places of assignment.
“We at UNDP are backing this project to remind the government of Liberia about the document signed with the United Nation on the promotion of Gender equality within the security sector. This partnership between our institution, medica Liberia and the Government of Liberia is particularly to see to it that Gender issues in the security area are addressed”
“This project is just to support government effort to ensure that the enabling environment is created for women within the security sector”, he averred.
Medica Liberia (mL) formerly medica mondiale Liberia is a women’s rights organization operating in five counties in Liberia. The organization offers support to women and girls who have been affected by Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
ML has been implementing SGBV response and prevention services for survivors of violence since 2006.