A local women rights advocacy group named Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH) has ended one-day stakeholders meeting to ensure legal aid and legal response for violence against women participating in the upcoming 2023 General and Presidential Elections.
The projects “Promoting Inclusive Political Participation” supported by the Peacebuilding Fund and the Liberia Electoral Support” supported by the Governments of Sweden and Ireland through UNDP officially kick-started with the inception meeting at a local hotel in Monrovia.
With the support of the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), in partnership with UN Women and UNDP, with funding from the SIDA and Irish Aid, ORWOCH will develop a concept to set up a legal aid program for disadvantaged candidates (e.g., women, Persons Living with Disability, youth, etc.)
The legal aid concept (framed the VAWIE referral pathway) outlines how, where and by whom the legal aid will be provided, according to a clear set of standard operating procedures and with a proposed referral pathway for the provision of legal services to women experiencing VAWIE and disadvantaged candidates under the Liberia Elections Support Project (LESP).
As part of the inception meeting, a panel discussion comprising legal minds and women politician and activists was held to brainstorm on issues affecting women in electoral processes particularly with legal frameworks.
The lead panelist former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott told the gathering that women have been taking things that would hurt them during electoral processes for granted.
She recounted her years in politics and her ability through the votes of the people to win through the tougher systems enabled against women.
She encouraged other women to take political issues strongly in terms of elections to include: security, and their wellbeing; as such, recommends that the issues of elections matter need brainstorming.
Chapter 10, of the elections law provides that, “The National Elections Commission (NEC) should fine and revoke political parties that are found in elections violence.”
Cllr Scott added that there is a need ORWOCH look at the legal framework to make the appropriate recommendations to those actors who need to perform to ensure that the security of women are protected and the atmosphere conducive to ensure participation of women and other women politicians.
“Accordingly; women need to insist on changing the laws, laws need to be looked at, because it is critical in elections.
Always be aware of domestic violence like rape, and political violence among others; the mindset of society today is; politics and leadership belong to men so if a woman tries to go into that area, they start to dig up her stories.
The electoral process is to put Liberia back in order, the court and NEC decide cases but they see it as just another case to waste their time”, Cllr Scott averred.
