The African Platform for Human Rights and Governance (APHRC) has sent a team of observers to be deployed in the various districts in Lofa County at head of today’s election.
According to the group Executive Director, Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, the team left for Lofa on Sunday and will return on Wednesday with a focus of monitoring any election violence activities.
The team of observers will also take into account of the entire election process including statements that will be made to undermine the stability of the state; monitoring and reporting several keys human rights issues related to the bi election in the county.
The group will be keen on accessibility of the polling area, and measures put in place to accommodate especially vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities and the elderly as they cast and their ballots.
The team will also monitor and report on incidences of election related violence among others.
Atty. Kelley said the team will look of all act of human rights violence in the county if it occurs before the election on Tuesday.
The group’s Executive Director added that its team will monitor the six senatorial candidates and their key supporters for statements that will be made to unmind the peace that the country has built over the years.
The Executive Director further added that the group is a new group its will focus on the following; Human rights education/training and litigation, advocacy and research on human rights and democratic development consultancy on human rights reporting( shadow, alternative reporting to human rights and charter based treaty bodies), Legislative review and reforms.
Lofa County currently has 187,775 registered voters that is slated to go to the poll on Tuesday to elect their new Senator.
However, APHRG was established in January 2021 to fill the lacuna of substantive human rights focus on litigation, human rights education, legal review and reforms and advocacy-based research.
The African Platform for Human Rights and Governance intervenes in the human right landscape to review legislations, policies, conduct research and advocacy and proposed legislative and policy reforms to alleviate the crisis in the human rights sector.
