Monrovia – Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has encouraged women advocacy groups to fight against teenage prostitution, early child marriage and domestic violence to protect women dignity in the Liberian society.
Report by Augustine T. Tweh – [email protected]
“I know we still have much more to do and so every time you have the opportunity to impact young lives, we talk about why it’s important to continue this fight because is indeed a fight.”
“President Sirleaf was a little disappointed that we did not pass the domestic violence bill or the land right bill and a few other bills that really provide an opportunity for girls. There is still much more work that needs to be done,” VP Taylor said.
She made the statement on Saturday, March 2 when she served as a special honoree along with some prominent Liberian women at the Girls Alliance For Future Leadership Executive Dinner and Excellent Award held in Monrovia under the theme: “Say No To Early Marriage”.
Vice President Taylor added that Liberian women are domestically abused by their spouses in all forms and manner, causing them to go through pains and extreme physical and psychological trauma.
“I want encourage our brothers and sisters to understand that when you empower or support or provide mentorship or love to someone else, you are building the platform for young girls to be what they want to be; without that, our families are broken and if the families are broken the communities are broken, the nation will be broken. The effect of any negative thing in any community or any family shows up in our young girls,” she said.
“We have our little daughters and sisters on the streets corner at night; just take a walk or drive around the communities around 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM and see what’s happening. We have 9,10 and 11-year-olds girls that are prostitutes on the streets. We have girls that are still being forced into marriage.
There are many places in our country where they have no choice. We still have women who are living under abuse, mental and physical abuse from their spouses and so, there is much more to be done.”
At the same time, the Vice President also frowned on the low participation of women in the public sector (government) and urged them to apply more efforts to compete with their male counterparts in the governance of the state.
“We talked about 30% of women in government and we are struggling to meet that mark. I have received over the last few days some of the resumes of some of the women.”
“It was late because some of the jobs have already gone, but we will make an appointment so that the women can go and see the President again and present those resumes so that women can form part of this governance as it has been our promise,” she said.
For her part, the Secretary General of Girls Alliance for Future Leadership, Faith Saar said the honoring of Vice President Taylor, the First Lady, Julia Duncan Cassell, Weade Kobbah Wureh, Juaneatta Ebba Davidson and Dr. D. Everlyn Kandakai is due to their selfless sacrificial contribution to the development of women and girls and Liberia at large.
“The reason while the Girls Alliance For Future Leadership decided to honor you is not because of what you gave to us.”
“We are honoring you because you make us proud today. Due to your excellent work in our country today, you gave us the zeal, you gave us the courage to do more to do what others are doing out there,” Saar stated.
Girls Alliance For Future Leadership (GAFL) was born out of conversation among few girls from various high schools in Monrovia.
The group is involved in gender equity, equality and advocacy and encourages community-based teenage peer review initiatives across cities in the country, among others.