Liberia: African Women Leaders Network Calls on All Women to Work In Transforming The Status of Women

Monrovia – As the special senatorial elections and referendum draw near, a member of the African Women Leaders Network chapter (ALWN) has called on all women in the country to work in transforming the status of women.

“Women are frequently seen as underdogs and if you have underdogs, it means that you have [to be] top dogs. The Africa we want; the Liberia we want, we don’t want to continue to see women as underdogs,” stressed Dr. Evelyne Kandakai, former Liberia’s Minister of Education, who is a member of ALWN.

Dr. Kadakai, who was speaking on Monday at the third consultation on enhancing women participation in politics, also encouraged the participants to get more involved with the organization as it carries out consultations with the Legislature to pass laws that favor women.

The African Women Leaders Network was established by the African Union (AU), United Nations Women (UN Women) and some African countries to help give women more space in the society.

“We need more momentum, more force in terms of women participation in leadership; not only in governance but in everything. There are women in business; there are women in security and so forth,” explained Dr. Kandakai, who added that the role of the organization is to help drive the process by mentoring women and bring them [women] into a “better station”.

Also speaking, Deputy Minister for Gender Children and Social Protection, Alice Howe stated that women political participation does not exist in a vacuum but “rather it affects many environmental factors including culture and social issues; traditional and political structures and the list goes on.”

“Women just do not want to be in politics; it is not only to be at the highest table of politics but in every sphere of life,” stated Minister Howe.

She, however, stressed that for women participation to be seen more in politics, then women in Liberia should be able to follow the footsteps of other countries, referencing Rwanda as a case study.

“While attending a program in Rwanda, the Women of Rwanda was bold to tell us that it wasn’t an easy thing to achieve adequate political participation, so they had to make electoral reforms that we [Liberian women] too are preaching today,” she said.

Also speaking, the Director of the Gender Unit at the National Elections Commissions NEC, Leisel Tarley, stressed that women political participation should be cut across at community and district level instead of only elected positions.

“This way, you become more known because in politics it is about how well known you are,” stressed Madame Tarley.