Monrovia – The Women’s Situation Room (WSR), has convened a stakeholders peace dialogue that brought together women in politics, the media and the security apparatus with the aim of mediating post-election peace engagement.
By Jaheim T. Tumu
The three-day ‘Women’s Political, Mediation and Peace Dialogue’, which is under the stewardship of the Angie Brooks International Centre, created the platform for female who contested during the elections, the media and security sector to share recent and previous experiences.
Participants shared recent and previous experiences when it comes to the issues of elections from the media perspective and how the safe space created for more women participation without intimidations. Emphasizing, they raised concerns around the amount of money that are normally charged for female candidates to appearance on radio shows.
They were provided suggestions and give perspective on challenges, gained and way forward endured these the heat of the political campaigns.
“The importance of the media promoting gender equality in elections and stating how women representation will also help us development. As nation. When the media set the agenda for the elections as we focus on the hardcore politics, we should also focus on the need for gender equality. And the importance of women’s political participation throughout elections.”
Highlighting the experience, media practitioners emphasized strongly on the issue of financial constraint has played a significant in providing wider coverage, intimidation of journalists from security apparatus and interfering from media owners who owned radio stations or newspapers has undermined reporters’ functions.
Addressing the dialogue, ABIC Board Chair, Olubanke King-Akerele commended the media and security for critical role to ensure safety.
According to her, the interaction would reflect on the 2023 general elections and to ask what happened during the process at various levels and what can be improved in the future to avoid further implications.
She emphasized that dialogue over the three days will also focus youth community, National Election Commission official, people living with disabilities, disadvantage youth and women who participated but who did not win due to financial and other basis issues. She, however, indicated that the are more need to be in addressing the security issue to ensure that peace is maintained.
Said King-Akerele, “People are inciting violence. Inciting terrible talk which is what we’re doing in Liberia today. It is serious and do not take it lightly. The problem is not finished. God has blessed us and brought us out of this thing but there’s too much evil talk. Too much evil talk is called inciting violence.”
She added, “We have a whole lot of foreigners sitting in Grand Gedeh and this government security need to look into that. Do not fool ourselves. We take things too lightly in this country. Nigeria cannot take care of the Boko Haram, what will we do? If we don’t take security issue seriously, we are in trouble. What is happening in the sub-region, we were in trouble.”