Monrovia – Renowned Liberian campaigner for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls in Liberia has expressed disappointment over the alleged exclusion of key stakeholders from the just-ended National Conference on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) organized by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah.
It can be recalled that on Tuesday, September 7, the government convened a National Conference on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) with stakeholders at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, outside Monrovia.
The conference was aimed at articulating and finding means to combat against rape and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in the society.
According to the Executive Director of the Community Healthcare Initiative, Madam Naomi Tulay Solanke, the government, through the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection failed to recognize and extend invitations to key stakeholders to enable them attend the national event.
Madam Solanke is also a member of the “We are Unprotected” campaign group, a movement raising awareness against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against women and girls in the country.
She observed that leaders of girls and women advocacy organizations, including those who were mostly part of the three-day protest against the escalating cases of rape in Liberia were the ones particularly snubbed from attending the National Conference.
Madam Solanke made these comments on Wednesday, September 9, in an interview with FrontPage Africa via telephone.
She and hundreds of other women and girls recently staged a peaceful protest, calling on President Weah to among other things declare rape a national emergency in Liberia.
She described the failure of the government to extend an invitation to key stakeholders to attend the conference as “deliberate and the normal way of silencing people in Liberia”.
Madam Solanke also blamed the situation on the leadership of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia and the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL).
“We were happy that the conference was being called and we thought that it was going to be an open invitation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an open invitation but it was per invitation. Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf called us and she said it was by invitation because she has received her invitation”.
“I know that it is deliberate because there had been other stakeholders in government that called me saying that I will not be part of it. This is the normal way of silencing people in our country, but it’s not going to bother me”.
She added that despite being an active member of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSL), she was not accorded the opportunity to engage and brainstorm with other Liberian women and partners in finding solutions to SGBV issues in the country, even though the group was reportedly extended invitations to give to them.
“There were invitations given to the Civil Society Council. I am a member of the Civil Society Council and they didn’t invite me. WONGOSOL was also given an invitation to invite women organizations within their network; they didn’t invite any of us. So, we knew that it was something deliberate because it’s just impossible for the National Civil Society Council to see someone that is active less important. It’s not even me, but Brandy, Facia and other women that were part of the three-day protest”.
She, however, questioned the yardstick or criteria used by the two CSOs organizations to select participants of the conference, denying others the opportunity to articulate their views.
Madam Solanke added that a “clique” was established to attend the national event, instead of the involvement of all women stakeholders.
She added that she didn’t bother to attend the national conference for fear of being embarrassed, like other women who attended without invitations but were denied entry.
Concern Ignored?
Madam Solanke is a member of the chatroom, the Liberian Women Chatroom, where issues affecting women and girls are discussed on a daily basis by influential former and current female government officials, civil society actors, and others on the social media.
Minister Williametta Piso Saydee-Tarr and other Ministers at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection are also part of the chatroom.
She claimed that an inquiry was made to establish whether or not the event was open to all members of the group, or other women organizations that didn’t receive an invitation, but deaf ears were alleged given to her inquiry by authorities of the Gender Ministry.
“The press secretary for the Ministry of Gender posted about the event in our chatroom. So when I saw it, I asked a question whether it was for all members because we heard about invitation-only, but nobody responded up to now”.
“Nyemadi Pearson promised to find out, but she didn’t come back. And so, I didn’t even bother myself again to ask”.
Madam Solanke claimed that the decision taken by both the government and the two CSOs to exclude her from the conference was due to her critical and unbending stance on holding government accountable for issues affecting women and girls in the country.
She, however, expressed gratitude for the smooth and successful end of the conference but cautioned against the suppression of the views and decisions of the participants.
She added that the knowledge and articulations proffered by the participants should not be swept under the carpet.
“I am happy that other women were given the opportunity to discuss issues that affect women. Even I didn’t attend that meeting, it is not something that is bothering me because I know that there were development partners and Liberian women fighting to ensure that women and girls have access to justice were invited”.
GOL’s response
Speaking in a telephone interview with FrontPage Africa Thursday, September 10, Deputy Information Minister for Public Affairs, Eugene Fahngon, disclosed that an open invitation was extended to civil society groups in the country by the government to attend the conference.
He pointed out that the government did not write any official invitation to a particular group of CSO operating in the country to attend the national event.
He noted that the government is “surprised” over the allegations raised by Madam Solanke.
Minister Fahngon noted that Madam Solanke should have attended the conference since in fact; she claims to be a stakeholder.
“The government gave out an open invitation to civil society groups. The government, at no point in time, writes an official letter to one particular group. Taking into consideration a national conference on rape-it was not a conference to call one particular group or stakeholder”.
“This country-each and every Liberian becomes a stakeholder at a national conference. I am surprised that this individual will want to be specifically signaled out on a national call to duty by getting an invitation”.
He denied reports that other women who attempted participating in the conference without invitations where denied entry.
“At no point in time was anyone denied from entering the ministerial complex theater. We didn’t receive any report that any group was banned. It will surprise you that almost every group that we had some representation; even the children’s parliament had their say. And so, we are surprised”.
“A national conference is a national conference; it is not a committee, corporation or stakeholder meeting. It is a national conference of a whole nation”.