Over the years, women seeking public offices have been subjected to attacks, intimidation, and other forms of violence that scare them away from the process.
Reports of physical attacks, intimidation, and harassment aimed at female politicians, activists, and voters, have grown as women have become more politically engaged, according to Medica-Liberia Head of Program, Mbalu Winnie Jusu.
Speaking at a two-day training organized by Medica-Liberia and POWER Liberia, in collaboration with the Coalition of Political Party Women in Liberia (COPWIL), with support from the UN Secretary-General Peace building Funds through UNWOMEN and UNDP, Madam Jusu said the training will provide additional knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill a crucial role in ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections.
She added election observers and monitors play a key role in upholding democratic principles, safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process, and promoting the rights of all individuals, especially women, to participate in the political affairs of Liberia.
“As election observers, you all play a role in upholding democratic principles, safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process and promoting the rights of all, especially women, to participate in the political affairs of Liberia; your commitment to independent oversight demonstrates your dedication to a democratic and inclusive society” Madam Jusu expressed.
She maintained that throughout the training, the facilitators will dig into the essential aspects of monitoring and observing elections.
For his part, the head of the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), Oscar Bloh, said violence against women in elections and politics undermines women’s political participations.
Mr. Bloh, one of the facilitators, believes that there has been a major gap in documenting violence against women over the years.
He said election observers have been focusing a lot on monitoring and observing campaigns and other activities on elections day, but not the issue of violence against women and how it undermines women’s political participation
He added that the observers will be trained to identify barriers that hinder women’s political participation, the types of violence against women, and systematically monitor, track, and document violence against women in elections. “When women are physically or emotionally attacked, they stay away or reduce their participation in politics” Mr. Bloh said
Mr. Bloh firmly said if women form 49% of the Liberia population, then there should be nothing undermining their participation.
Facilitating on implementing the VAWiE Protocol, Madam Leisel Talery, head of the National Elections Commission Gender Session, said the NEC and heads of political parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2022 to protect and prevent violence against women in the upcoming elections.
She added that though there is no exact definition for violence against women in election and politics, but violence against women in politics includes threats of such acts, coercion or deprivation of liberty with the intent of limiting women’s rights or freedom of expression, voices, and participation in elections and politics.
She added that VAWiE may be cultural, traditional, and/or religious, occurring in public and private spaces, including online (social media), in homes, political parties, communities, workplaces, and other spaces before, during, and after elections, and in other political processes.
“Violence against Women in Election and Politics is driven by discriminatory gender norms and men’s desire to hold onto power and maintain the status quo, whereby women are largely excluded from key leadership positions and political power. This type of violence has a wider systemic effect, because it sends a message to women that politics is not their place and that their participation involves great personal risk. Thus, women and girls who may have otherwise had leadership ambitions are more likely to disengage from political life”. Madam Talery exerted.
Speaking to a cross session of participants at the close of the workshop, the facilitators expressed deep appreciation for the participants’ commitment to upholding democratic principles.
They cautioned the organizers to do more, going beyond workshops. The participants called on other international partners to join efforts in making sure violence against women in elections becomes a punishable crime.
Meanwhile, the promotion of inclusive political participation and the elimination of violence against women in politics are paramount to ensuring that every candidate has fair and equal conditions in an electoral process–as these ensure credibility, transparency and fairness to the outcomes of elections, unfortunately, this has not been the case in Liberia.
The participants at the workshop were from Monsterrado, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, and Sinoe, and are Elections Observers and Monitors working for LEON, ECC, WANEP, ABIC, WONGOSOL, NAYMOTE, PBO ORWOCH.
