The Editor,
I am writing in reference to your editorial, “A Few Bad Apples Eclipsed UNMIL’s Liberia Stay,” which appeared in the Monday, 4 July 2016 edition of FrontPage and the subsequent edition.
The editorial painted an inaccurate picture of UNMIL’s presence. In particular, the piece:
- Ignored the Mission’s intensified efforts to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA);
- Misrepresented the positive impact of UNMIL Radio and the Mission on media development;
- Made a false accusation that UNMIL pays journalists to cover stories; and,
- Wrongly implied that the Mission did not report on female genital mutilation (FGM)
Fighting SEA
The Mission has a zero-tolerance policy on SEA in Liberian society in general, and by Mission personnel, in particular – including transactional sex, which is strictly forbidden. The number of substantiated allegations has decreased. This year, there has not been a single allegation against UNMIL personnel.
The issue, however, remains a top priority for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Liberia, Mr. Farid Zarif, the Mission leadership, and the entire UN family, who aim to ensure that the “zero-tolerance” policy leads to a “zero-incidence” reality.
New measures taken this year include a non-fraternization policy for military personnel instituted by the UNMIL Force Commander and the training of anti-SEA Champions across the country to educate Liberians on the issue and provide a channel to report cases of misconduct.
There are now 237 anti-SEA Champions in eight counties in Liberia. They include Government and civil society, traditional and religious leaders and media practitioners, as well as 34 UNMIL military, Police and civilian personnel.
UNMIL traditional communicators disseminate messages on SEA in the counties where the Mission operates. All UNMIL personnel are trained before and upon their arrival to the Mission on the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on SEA and the consequences for those who break the rules.
We educate personnel on the harm that SEA causes to victims and stress our duty of care as peacekeepers. The Mission also operates a 24-hour hotline to report incidents (07703316262) and an e-mail address ([email protected]). The Mission plans to take further measures, including working with our Liberian partners to address any underreporting.
UNMIL Radio and the Mission’s contributions to media development
The Mission and UNMIL Radio have supported media development since the station first started broadcasting from a van on the first day of the Mission, collaborating with media in Monrovia and across the country over the years.
In 2004 and 2005, the Mission and media partners including the Press Union of Liberia organized a series of workshops that did as much as anyone else to help prepare journalists to cover the elections, by training over 400 journalists – including community radio journalists in local languages. This occurred in the post-conflict period when no one else was providing critical training on a similar scale.
UNMIL Radio contributed to media development in a variety of ways, including through offering training opportunities on its premises for young journalists and working with community radio stations and regional correspondents during the elections.
UNMIL Radio is widely recognized in Liberia for setting a bar for quality, and for non-politicized coverage. It is a noncommercial station that prides itself in covering a range of topics in a constructive way and shares its trusted news coverage with stations across the country.
UNMIL Radio does not avoid controversial topics, but seeks to cover all issues in an unsensational and objective manner to defuse confrontation and encourage discourse.
UNMIL Radio had indeed covered FGM prior to 2012 on programmes such as Women’s World. Far from avoiding the issue, UNMIL Radio interviewed your reporter, Mae Azango, on her reporting in 2012 and covered threats against her in the station’s news broadcasts.
It is unfair to assert that UNMIL “stole” Liberia’s best journalists. We are proud of the service provided to all Liberians by the excellent professionals who work for UNMIL Radio. Others who benefitted from employment or training with the station have returned to Liberian institutions, including the media, with improved skills and a broader perspective. There is sufficient journalistic talent outside UNMIL Radio to fill the needs of a country of 4 million people.
It is also spurious to assert that UNMIL Radio has stolen the audience. Following the deployment of UNMIL on 1 October 2003, the number of media houses in Liberia has proliferated, not decreased.
What is required is a better business model for the media, one that dissuades journalists from being tempted by a “brown envelope.” For the record, UNMIL does not pay journalists for coverage; it does provide physical transport to its press conferences.
Also for the record, the Mission is managed by the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support, and not the United Nations Development Programme. UNMIL looks forward to balanced and fact-based discourse on issues as important to Liberia as media development, FGM and SEA.
Russell Geekie
Chief of Public Information
United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
Tel: +231 770315200 – (Intermission: 171-5200)
Mobile: +213(0)770319145
E-mail: [email protected]
