The management of Salala Rubber Corporation, (SRC) located in Gibi District, Upper Margibi County has pledged its strongest support and commitment towards promoting zero tolerance against sexual and gender-based violence, SGBV within its concession.
The management said it will not allow or neither support any staff of the company who engages in any act of sexual and gender-based violence will be held liable for their actions and risk being prosecuted in accordance with penal laws of Liberia.
According to the Liberia News Agency, the statement was made on behalf of the management of Salala Rubber Corporation by its Human Resource and Administrative Manager, Mr. Jallah G. Mensah over the weekend at its factory in Weala, Margibi County at the close of a two workshop on SGBV sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in collaboration with the SRC.
He intimated that the Salala Rubber Corporation has in recent years been accused of being involved in acts of sexual and gender-based violence against female employees of the company.
He also pointed out that the management of SRC, as a responsible tropical Agro-company’, will not condone any form of sexual harassment and or abuse against its female employees adding, “There is no sex for job or job for sex here.”
“Since Green Advocate International (GAI) accused us few years ago of perpetrating and/or condoning SGBV between some senior managers and female employees, there is no one evidence to prove their allegation against the company,” he asserted.
“We welcome human rights best practices and standards that enhance awareness and promote engagements that create a wholesome zero tolerance of any form of SGBV in the workplaces of the Salala Rubber Corporation,” Mr. Mensah observed.
For her part, a local consultant on SGBV for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Liberia, Mrs. Henrietta Martor said there was a compelling need to have such training that focuses on sexual and gender-based violence and gender issues for employees of SRC, including its community liaisons and key stakeholders from in and around the concession area.
She said many employees did not have sufficient information on issues relating to gender violence and its triggering effects in work places where a lot of people are clustered and the need to have them trained about the implications and intricacies on sexual harassment and intimidation of their female counterparts.
According to her, following several complaints of sexual harassment and intimidation as well as SGBV cases by female workers of the company, the IFC saw the need to initiate the training of key staff of SRC and as well as stakeholders in the communities on all SGBV in the workplaces.
“They were trained on how to report all forms of SGBV issues in their respective areas of work and communities by using the ‘referral pathways’ to better handle it whenever issues of such occurs,” the Madam Martor noted.
“International Finance Corporation along with the management of Salala Rubber Corporation saw the need to train them properly so that they know how to report it for prompt response and also know how to prevent it,” she added.
She observed that the workshop met its targeted results and that the participants were very responsive in every aspect of the training.
“The participants have asked us for SGBV training,” she concluded.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, SRC Gender Committee co-chair, Mary Boimah, said her committee will step up SGBV awareness activities in the workplace and will not hesitate to report violators to the requisite authority for prosecution.
“We as the company’s gender committee were not sufficiently informed on SGBV issues and therefore could not adequately educate others in the workplace. But with the knowledge acquired, we will do more to create public awareness and education to ensure a ‘zero tolerance’ on all forms of gender-based violence in our workplace and communities. We will also without fear or favor report anyone caught harassing any of female colleagues whether through cash or promise of employment opportunities,” she warned.
“It was a laudable and timely venture on the part of IFC and the management of the Salala Rubber Corporation for conducting such a wonderful training for us and want to also use the occasion to more training opportunities of such in the near future,” she pleaded.
For her part, Madam Helena Flumo promised to serve at the SGBV ‘Goodwill Ambassador” in her community thanked the IFC for the training, describing it as an eye opener for most women working in the concession though there has not been any evident of gender based abused here.
“We now know our rights and limitations on the abuse of women in the community and work places and will work along with the company’s employees and other residents to further broaden their minds of gender-based violence and as well as other gender related issues”, she assured.
“We have been hearing of women being abused especially in the company area, but personally as a woman I have not seeing it or have any woman come out to evidently point out or state as to who, where, and or when did they carried out such act against their will and consent,” she also revealed.
The two days IFC sponsored SGBV workshop brought together employees of the company and as well as stakeholders from various communities within and around the concession of the Salala Rubber Corporation.
