MORNOVIA — In the ongoing efforts to end violence against women and girls, a two-day consultation workshop organized by UN Women and partners commenced on Monday at the Cape Hotel in Monrovia.
By Mae Azango [email protected]
The consultation, which brought together traditional and religious leaders along with other stakeholders, is supported by the Ford Foundation and aims to establish meaningful partnerships with influential agents of social change. It is part of a project known as “Traditional and Cultural Leaders for Ending GBV by Advancing Advocacy, Policy, and Social Norms Change in Nigeria and West Africa (LEAP),” designed to address underlying power structures within communities, eliminate harmful practices, address religious misconceptions, and transform cultural norms related to violence against women and girls (VAWG).
According to UN Women Country Representative Ms. Comfort Lamptey, Liberia has been chosen as one of the West African countries to host regional consultations on the role of traditional, cultural, and faith leaders in ending gender-based violence (GBV) through advocacy, policy, and social norms change.
“UN Women places significant importance on dignity, the sanctity of life, and fairness, values enshrined in many religious and community doctrines in Liberia, Africa, and other parts of the world. These values are also reflected in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights for all as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace worldwide. However, gender-based violence, in all its forms, violates these core values and disproportionately affects women, who comprise more than half of our countries’ populations,” she stated.
She emphasized that traditional and faith leaders can play a crucial role in challenging the status quo. Liberia has recently witnessed changes in the process for abolishing FGM, with traditional leaders banning it as a harmful practice.
She acknowledged Chief Zanzan Karwor for championing the promotion of women and girls’ rights in Liberia through the declaration of a ban on FGM and his leadership in various counties to ensure effective implementation of the ban. She also thanked the Government of Liberia for its continued collaboration in the fight against FGM and the promotion of women’s and girls’ rights. Additionally, she expressed gratitude to the EU, development partners, and CSOs for their support in ending FGM.
Culture Ambassador Juli Endee stated that traditional leaders’ progress in ending FGM in Liberia would not have been possible without the financial and technical support of UN Women. She thanked UN Women Nigeria and the Ford Foundation for their three-year program to engage Traditional and Cultural Leaders in ending GBV in West Africa.
Assistant Minister for Gender Ophelia Kennedy announced the conclusion of a two-day regional consultation with traditional and faith leaders of Liberia as part of efforts to end violence against women. She thanked the traditional leaders for their commitment and expressed appreciation to UN and EU partners for their support, stating that the Government of Liberia is making significant progress in ending FGM.
EU Counsellor and Head for Political and Economic Governance Cooperation, Dr. Anna Brzozowska, emphasized their interest in involving women and announced a 50 million euros investment in vocational education.
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