Voinjama, Lofa County – The Gbowee Peace Foundation in collaboration with the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund recently ended a weeklong refresher training for peace brigades in Liberia’s northern Lofa County.
Naomi Kennedy, Contributing Writer
The peace workshop, which brought together more than 60 rural women from Salayea, Foya, Voinjama, Zorzor, Kolahun, and Vahun, is hoping that the forum would provide knowledge and education on how people in rural communities can avert violent crimes against teens, who have essentially become breadwinners for their parents. Each of the selected districts was represented by ten women at the seminar.
The training, held under the team ‘’Sustain the Peace’’ is part of an eighteen months’ project geared toward mobilizing and sensitizing Liberians to end violence against women across the various districts in Lofa and its surroundings. It afforded many women to voice out many issues affecting and how men are in the middle of their woes.
“Most men usually tell us that women are not to say certain things. Most times, women are fined for speaking on some domestic violence issues like rape, men beating on their wives, and other forms of violence,” says Lofa County’s Traditional chairlady Kumusa Bowolie.
The Gbowee Peace Foundation says its latest training is aimed at reducing the impact of violent crimes against women across Liberia, especially rural settlements, where SGBV and other domestic crimes are on the increase. And the training comes in the wake of mounting concerns that a significant number of SGBV victims in rural Liberia are unaware of violations of their fundamental human rights.
According to the US State Department 2020 report, Lofa County, which is Liberia’s fourth populous county, is among regions in the country where sexual and gender-based violence have been perpetrated against women and teenagers. With the exception of Grand cape Mount which tops the list of counties with the most violence cases against women in Liberia.
Lofa County sits in the second top position, according to the Ministry of Justice latest report on violence against women, which recorded 600 rape cases between June 2020 and to January 2021. The entire 2018 saw more than 800 rape cases in the country. The situation with SGBV against women is said to have become worst under covid-19 lockdowns.
Aside from SGBV and the corresponding justice issues, organizers of the training also said they are praying the conference would make important intervention for lasting peace in most parts of Lofa County; a region with the most diverse tribes (Kissi, Mandingo, Lorma, Kpelleh, Gbandii, and Mende) so that they can truly reconcile their differences and live as one.
“Gbowee Peace Foundation decided to build on the idea of the Women Mass Action for Peace, where in 2003 the women gathered to advocate for peace and justice, and ensured they got it,” said Mr. David Konneh, Program Manager of the Gbowee Peace Foundation.
Mr. Konneh, who gave positive impression about the women’s gathering, asserted that preaching peace and preventing conflict are essential tools necessary for lasting peace.
The Gbowee Peace Foundation also in partnership with the Association of Females Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), and the Liberia Female Law Enforcement Association (LIFLEA), gave the overall goal of creating an effective awareness tool against perpetrators of rape, domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of crimes within the Liberian society.
Atty. Elizabeth Smith, of AFELL, presented on Domestic Violence, Rape, and Human Rights and warned the women against contributing to SGBV regarding their female children.
“Most of the mothers are responsible for the raping of their children, as their children have now become their bread winners, by selling boil eggs, water, and other things on the streets even at night,” Atty. Smith pointed out. Another pressing issue is that parents are compromising the cases of rape victims,” she lamented.
Annie Seah of LIFLEA, remarked on child None Support and other crime issues and warned perpetrators against crimes or they would bear the full consequence of their actions.
“Due to the awareness provided by the Gbowee Peace Foundation’s peace Brigades in the various communities, most of the people in the communities are now understanding their rights, which has caused great reduction in domestic violence cases in Lofa county,” Said Saah
Participants who attended the justice and peace training also commended the Gbowee Peace Foundation for embarking on such initiative. The women also expressed excitement about the training which they say would help educate others in preventing against SGBV in their communities. They promised on carrying out inspections at nearby towns and villages, and talk to the people on rape, domestic Violence, child abandonment, tribalism, and child abuse.
“I am very impressed about this exercise. I have been talking to people in Voinjama and other surrounding communities to avoid every form of electoral violence and expect whoever that wins the election,” said Madussu Dully, Market Superintendent of Lofa County.
Dolly and few other women said because of the training they are receiving, they are seeing great changes in their communities as more women are now coming out to report cases of domestic violence and other forms of abuses meted against them. They however outlined child abuse and abandonment as challenges that are confronting them within their communities.
At the same time, the women have complained about the limited number of fieldworkers and transportation as major challenges which are impending their reaching out to the communities.
“We are calling on the Gbowee Peace Foundation to provide them with motorbikes and some financial support to enable them reaches out to other areas so as to spread the peace message and encourage others to report violence against them,” the women said.
After the conference, Gbowee Foundation, AFELL and LIFLEA, marched the principal streets of Lofa, creating awareness as a tool against perpetrators of rape, child abuse, domestic violence and other forms of harmful practices within the society.