The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has concluded another phase of its advocacy for the promotion, protection and advancement of the rights of women and children in several communities in Sanniquillie and Yekepa in Nimba County with participants accusing ArcelorMittal for mal-treatment.
This time, the participants stressed that they are in dire need of intervention from mal-treatment allegedly meted upon them by the giant steel company, ArcelorMittal.
The participants are complaining how the treatment have affected them stressing that they do not even have rights in that part of the county anymore since the concession company began its operations.
The women’s argument is that not everybody has the opportunity of going to school therefore, they organized themselves to bring goods to sell but that is even difficult for them in ArcelorMittal zones.
“Even for them to carry us on the Mines or in their compound for us to clean the area in order to get money and help our children, they are not doing it and we don’t have anywhere to turn or anybody to go to here,” they told AFELL in the gathering.
The women continued, “But every day, they are blasting on this mountain and the sound is so terrible thereby causing serious problems for us and our children and sometimes those who are older or sick faint.”
They maintained that the hurtful part is when they tell their local leaders, nothing comes from out of it adding, “And you will not even believe it that our supplications carried to them have turn into ‘toilet’ tissue.”
“But every day, they will come and tell us big-big things and lie to us but in the end, nothing they can do and we are here suffering while they bring in their country man to do the least job, which is flag girl,” they complained.
“So we are begging your to help us talk to them or the government because we need jobs and want to work or they can help us send our children to school or provide opportunities for our children,” they petitioned.
They also reported that they do not have safe drinking water there because all of the creeks are all contaminated by the company and called on the government to really help them or engage ArcelorMittal on their behalf.
The dialogue is under a project sponsored by UN WOMEN/Peace Building fund titled, “Enhancing Peace and Social Cohesion Through the Promotion of Equitable Access to and Use of Land for Rural Women in Conflict-prone Communities” and implemented by AFELL.
Meanwhile, another participant identified as Helena who spoke lengthily said ArcelorMittal told them that they had come to help, especially the suffering women stating, “First they told us that they was going to train us and I was already prepared for that training.”
“Some of us went to school but we never ended the school but they told us to bring our high school certificate and where do they expect us to get high school paper from when majority of us are all women that do not even know the ABC good,” Helena defended.
She expressed, “Now as I speak to you, my son is seriously sick and no money to carrying him for treatment because I am not working and no free hospital here. Nothing ArcelorMittal is doing to help us here but every day, they are lying to us.”
“They tell us to apply and when we finish doing it, we will not get the job. Not a single person from our town will get the job and all they will say is that we did not go to school and that we do not know book,” he maintained.
“Even the place we use to make our cassava, banana and our corn farms have already been damaged by ArcelorMittal. No way for us to plant our crops; no jobs for us to do but, the only good thing we get from them is every day meeting; which we can get nothing from out of yet, we are here sitting and seeing them taking our iron ores carrying it while we the citizens are suffering,” the participants told their guests.
Another resident, Ellen Saye admitted how she went to make farm to be able to feed herself and her family because she did not have the opportunity to go to academic school but Mittal steel went and cleared the whole area with their machines.
“I even get my agreement paper and the rice pictures all in my phone but since then, they are yet to pay me. So I want your to please help me,” she appealed to AFELL.
Earlier, AFELL’s president Philomena T. Williams, explained to the women that AFELL provides technical support to women in concession.
She said AFELL is also concerned about strengthening their capacity to participate and negotiate at the level of concessions agreement and to monitor its implementation.
She stated that AFELL’s role is to provide legal aid services to victims/survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in concession affected communities which also cuts across to worker unions where women are members.
The AFELL boss encouraged the women to participate in the interactive engagement as the project being undertaken is interested in creating awareness so as to engage senior management and as well facilitate dialogues between female worker unions and their managements.
AFELL’s Vice president, Gbine Bowoulo Kelley, expressed the Association’s concern about worker unions where women are members and assured the women that they will also be given the necessary tools through adequate capacity building to make a claim of those rights when they identify violations and abuses of their rights.
She also assured them of prompt legal representation through AFELL for women who are victimized in those concessions areas.
