“We are really suffering because no justice or protection for us especially we women and our children,” this was the plea from women during the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia’s (AFELL) visit to Gbarpolu County.
AFELL is implementing 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” with focus in four counties across Liberia.
The participants who spoke during the interactive session in Gbarpolu County thanked AFELL for coming and hoped for assistance legally noting, “Our girls are being raped on a daily basis but no justice only because we do not have money or someone to plead for us. Sometimes parents are forced to compromise these cases because of poverty; no lawyers and advocates to help them.”
They further complained, “Our boys are dying every day from the kush, and other bad drugs. The police and other LDEA officers are all part of the selling of the kush and drugs in Gbarpolu. We need help my people.”
“Again, your thank you for coming because we know with your presence, we are safe. Also, we have so many cases that are in the court but can’t be judged and the perpetrator them are all free but we believe at the end of this training, and together, our women will begin to get justice,” the participants said assumingly in one voice.
The outburst confession from the women participants came following AFELL’s president Philomena T. Williams, earlier information to the women that AFELL provides technical support to workers union and women in concession areas aimed at 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.
Atty. Williams told the women groups at the gathering that AFELL has commenced conducting awareness sessions for senior management and will facilitate dialogues between female workers unions and management.
Explaining the Association’s mission to the women, AFELL’s Vice president indicated that it is “To advocate for the promotion, protection and advancement of the rights of women and children in Liberia.”
She informed the women that they will also be given the necessary tools through adequate capacity building to enable them to identify violations and abuses of their rights, and make a claim of those rights.
She assured that legal representation is readily available for women who are victimized in those concessions’ areas.
Meanwhile, buttressing the calls for justice during the interactive session, the CSO Coordinator in Gbarpolu, Lydia V. Ballah, expressed appreciation to AFELL for reaching them and said they are certainly going to be free once somebody or organization like AFELL comes to their aid.
According to her, in the communities, their group called Western Region Women Network Association was supported by SDI, but their women have been treated badly by the concession companies in the county.
“Our women have not been treated fairly, they are not employed, they are abused and all of these issues came out following the survey conducted by SDI. So, today I received a communication from few of the females that were marginalized and some of them complained about their money being even taken,” she told AFELL’s team.
She went on, “However, this case is now in court but I hope they were here during the training; we hope to take most of them from the affected communities so they can express their grievances because they know what they are going through.”
“The Chinese got another company from Belle Yalla which have marginalized our people because we don’t know how they came in the county and that is why I called on my women that during the court opening, we will hold our placards and protest because we believe the judge was bribed,” she alleged.
Madam Yallah concluded, “The people are taking our resources and carrying it; no benefits for our county, our children and women are suffering, no justice and protection. We want to say thank you for coming but your should please help us and ensure that our women rights are protected at all times.”
