Monrovia – Defense for Children International (DCI-Liberia) says her advocacy against child marriage, sexual violence and economic exclusion of girls and young women in the country is yielding positive results in the targeted communities.
According to the organization’s Advocacy and Communication Officer Love S. Kolenky, several communities in rural Montserrdo and Bomi Counties now have by-laws and regulations tackling traditional practices that have been impeding the rights of vulnerable women and girls in these areas.
“Our campaign has awaken communities in rural Bomi and Montserrado Counties to take action realizing that violence against women and young girls strains the development of both the perpetrators and the survivors,” she said.
Ms. Kolenky, speaking to a team of reporters in Monrovia recently added that “simply understanding that no country can advance without the inclusion of women and young girls as a major fraction of the total human resource capacity needed to drive change has stimulated these elders and traditional leaders to abandon old belief and ideas to join the fight”.
She said DCI-Liberia’s recent major strides includes the graduation of 11 girls and young women from the Klay Agricultural Vocational Training Center (KAVTC), dialogue with Sime Darby Plantation in Grand Cape Mount for enforcement of the Gender Policy aimed at balancing employment ration between male and female.
“Networking with county and school authorities to ensure that women and young girls access Post Primary Education (PPE), Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), job opportunities as well as denounce child marriage and sexual violence is continuing” she noted.
The DCI-Liberia Advocacy and Communication Officer indicated that the organization’s latest campaign is firmly rooted in her “Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA)” project, designed to create a platform that bring key actors together to network and advocate for the rights of vulnerable girls and young women and speaking out on issues affecting these vulnerable community members as it relates to inclusion in economic empowerment opportunities through equal access to Post Primary Education (PPE) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
She said that the GAA project launched on August 20, 2016 is being funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Plan Netherlands, DCI ecpat and terre des homes with the core objective of eliminating all forms of gender base violence including child marriage, sexual violence, abused and economic exclusion of girls and young women and equal access to PPE, TVET, job employment opportunities and economic empowerment.
DCI-Liberia is a non-government, non for-profit child rights organization advancing the rights of children, vulnerable women and young girls, defending children in conflict and contact with the law and youth livelihood in Bomi, Montserrado and Grand Cape Mounties.