By Bill W. Cooper
BudgIT Liberia and medica Liberia have successfully conducted a one-day youth dialogue, involving several students to discuss gender-based budgeting, with the aim of empowering young voices in the country’s fiscal decision-making process.
In partnership with medica Liberia and Book Before Boys, the event was held at G.W. Gibson High School in Monrovia, bringing together over 130 students and the project manager from medica Liberia, while 100 girls also benefited from sanitary pads.
The initiative commemorating International Women’s Day also highlighted gender-responsive budgeting as a vital tool for addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and empowering young people to advocate for fair resource distribution and systemic change.
BudgIT Liberia is a civic tech organization dedicated to promoting fiscal transparency, good governance, and citizen engagement, ensuring that the utilization of the Liberian budget benefits all citizens.
As the lead implementer, BudgIT, through its Country Lead, Abraham Varney, took the opportunity to educate students on the national budget’s role in addressing gender disparities and preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Liberia.
Varney emphasized that without adequate funding; the fight against SGBV remains ineffective, and called for significant budget allocations to support existing One-Stop Centers and safe homes throughout Liberia.
Data indicate a significant increase in cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in recent years, as in 2019, there were 2,708 reported cases; in 2020, the number decreased to 2,240; in 2022, it further decimated to 1,975 cases.
Also, 66.4% of these cases involving rape, gang rape, and sodomy, and 65% of the survivors were females under the age of 18; however, in 2023, the number of reported cases surged to 3,204, with Montserrado County alone recording 1,279 cases.
The alarming rise highlights the urgent need for stronger interventions to support survivors and prevent further violence because Liberia lacks adequate safe space for survivors, leaving many without essential support.
Varney further revealed that these One-Stop Centers, when funded, will ensure survivors receive medical care, legal aid, psychosocial counseling, including shelter assistance among others.
He also stressed the importance of gender-responsive budgeting to ensure public funds address inequalities and urged students to demand greater accountability in public spending—aligning with BudgIT’s mission to simplify budget data for civic action.
medica Liberia Project Manager, Fenny Louise Taylor Diggs, mentioned about her organization’s efforts to provide safe spaces for SGBV survivors, as well as raise awareness about the government’s one-stop centers offering comprehensive care.
She however decried the limited availability of these facilities leaving many survivors vulnerable, with a call for the government to increase investments in survivor support systems, ensuring that every county has at least one fully operational safe home.
For his part, Book Before Boys representative, Mustapha Z. Sherman, stressed the role of education in breaking cycles of abuse and dependency, urging female students to prioritize learning and career growth.
He however challenged young men to reject harmful gender norms and become ambassadors in the fight against SGBV and any other forms of harassment that are normally meted against women.
Meanwhile, the dialogue ended with a collective demand for urgent policy reforms and budget, which includes establishing and sustaining One-Stop Centers and safe homes across Liberia, as well as survivor support programs, including medical, legal, and counseling services.
Others are to integrate gender-responsive budgeting into national financial policies, as well as expand awareness campaigns to shift societal attitudes toward gender equity, with BudgIT Liberia, medica Liberia, and Book Before Boys, all reaffirming their commitment.