By: Winifred Sackor- Intern
The Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) has completed day-long mediation dialogue with women leaders from political parties, civil society organizations (CSOs), and communities to strengthen the participation of women in politics.
Discussion at the dialogue included understanding the trajectory of women’s political participation in Liberia; identifying barriers that prevent women’s political participation; breaking the barriers and stereotypes against women’s political participation; and towards 2023, how to increase women’s participation in the upcoming election.
Speaking at the opening of the discussion session, the former Chief Justice of Liberia, Cllr. Frances Johnson Allison urged the participating women to be fearless of their decision to participate in politics.
“We got to be fearless about this thing. No matter what we do men have to be there so that we can work together,” she told the participating women.
Following Cllr. Johnson Allison’s statement, the women raised concern about how they are not educated and it could prevent them from competing with their male counterparts.
They also encouraged their fellow women to support one another and not to breed envy among themselves.
Winnie Johnson, a participant from West Point said “As women we do not love each other, and because of that we are not supporting our friend women.”
Winnie was followed by Annie Payed, Chief of Office Staff of Senator Botoe Kanneh, telling the gathering that women are not availing themselves to support other women.
The women group also alarmed over the registration fee for candidates at the National Elections Commission, describing it as a recipe to prevent women from venturing into politics.
However, motivating them, Cllr. Johnson Allison encouraged the women to fight for the reduction of registration fees to allow females to ably compete and break barriers and stereotypes against their political participation.
On the other hand, the women has stress the need to fight against drugs in the country but some big hands are serving as barrier.
Speaking, Madam Olubanke King Akerele, former Foreign Minister and eminent woman of the Women Situation Room said “we can understand that there are big hands behind drug traffickers but we can work with the men, we have to stand up and rescue our children.”
Unlike Akerele, ABIC Establishment Coordinator Counselor Yvette Chesson-Wureh wants the women to be committed to their decision to participate in political leadership.
She said one of the biggest barriers for women in finance, adding, “For you all to have the political participation, you have to stand for that barrier to drop. We are aware of the drug situation, it is on our agenda and we will look at it.”
The initiative is being undertaken under the “Sustainable and Inclusive Peace in Liberia through promoting women’s leadership and participation in civic and political life and their Strengthened Role in Conflict Resolution” in partnership with ZOA with funding from the United Nations Peace building Fund.
The program held in the Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and brought together women from 20 communities in Bong and Montserrado Counties.
It also brought together political parties, including the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Liberia Transportation Party (LTP), Union of Liberia Democrats (ULD), ALCOP, Redemption Democratic Change (RDC), People’s Unification Party(PUP), New Liberia Party(NLP), Coalition for Liberia’s Progress(CLP), All Liberian Party(ALP), National Patriotic Party(NPP), People’s Liberation Party(PLP), Unity Party(UP), and Coalition for Democratic Change(CDC).
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