Liberia faces Human Rights challenges.

Action Aid launches a five-year strategic plan here with a reminder that Liberia still faces post-war human rights abuses affecting women and children.

By Naneka A. Hoffman

Monrovia, Liberia, July 19, 2024—The government observes that Liberia still faces serious post-war challenges in ensuring that the human rights of its citizens, especially women and children, are respected.

Speaking at the launch of Action Aid’s five-year strategic plan in Monrovia, the Deputy Minister for Research, Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Curtis Dorley, says sexual and gender-based violence continues to be a deep-rooted problem and major post-conflict challenge confronting the government.

Minister Dorley notes that a 2023 Afro Barometer survey reveals that about 50 percent of Liberian women experienced sexual and gender-based violence as a common occurrence issue in their communities. 

According to him, the 2020 Liberia Demographic Survey also indicates that about 60 percent of Liberian women between the ages of 15-49 have experienced physical or sexual violence. 

He explains that Female Genital Mutilation is another form of gender violence experienced by women and girls, actively practiced in Liberia, adding that this is because its practice is entrenched in social norms and values, but government is taking steps to ensure it stops.

Also speaking, the Country Director of Action Aid Liberia, Elizabeth Gbah-Johnson, outlines three thematic areas, including structural and systematic change, which covers women’s rights and feminist activities and addressing gender equality.

“We want to promote democratic governance, accountability and female participation”, she says.

Ms. Johnson explains that the strategy is to control communities to adopt and mitigate the issue of climatic change and disaster.

According to her, the theme of the plan will look at the humanitarian response to the disaster from women-led perspectives.       

“What we will be doing now is to build the capacity and strengthen the organization into a full-fledged agency through the transfer of knowledge and skills.”

She points out that they will also be looking at the root causes of domestic violence to mitigate it.

She said the paper ” Action for Rights and Social Justice” will be implemented in eleven of Liberia’s 15 counties.

The program, held in Monrovia, was graced by a large number of people and representatives of ministries, international nongovernmental organizations, implementing and donor partners, and foreign missions, among many others. Editing by Jonathan Browne