MONROVIA-The organization for women and children has ended a day-long stakeholders’ review dialogue in Monrovia.
The one day dialogue was intended to advance local actor’s engagement in strengthening the prevention and monitoring of sexual and gender-based violence including access to gender-sensitive and transitional justice.
The EU Enough project, is being implemented by ORWOCH with funding from the European Union through Oxfam and the foundation for community initiative.
The dialogue was held under the theme: “Enhancing local actor’s engagement in preventing, monitoring and reporting sexual gender based violence (SGBV).
Speaking on what SGBV actors can do to ensure communities are actively equipped to monitor and prevent SGBV, Madam Lucy Dukuly, Clinical Supervisor Common-Wealth District, stressed the need to trained SGBV monitor in the field whom is considered as whistle bower as well as security to ensure their protect as their go about their duties.
According to her, while it is true that SGBV actors have passion for what they are doing, but there is no security protection which places them at high risk saying that no one is a gaint for SGVB.
Madam Dukuly who have been working on SGBV related issues since 2010 said at the five one stop centers in the common-wealth district, they ensure that survivors get treatment while they are fighting to go to court.
She asserted that limited awareness has been done across the over 99 health facilities within the common-wealth district as such they have been also carrying out awareness to make sure that survivors go to those ‘one stop centers’ to seek medical attention.
The clinical supervisor further mentioned that parents of some of the survivors are not willing to take their kids to the safe homes, but considering their condition couple with the environment, they as professionals advise and persuade them to allow their children go to the safe home.
She also thanked ORWOCH and partners for training our monitors to go into the field to fast-track some of these cases.
Similarly, Pewee Laward, Case Liaison Officer of SGBV Unit-Ministry of Justice says the fight against sexual and gender-based violence is not an easy thing as some people will even fight those SGBV Unit workers
According to him SGVB requires a multi-sectorial approach as one person cannot do it.
He encouraged more people with like-minds to come onboard to continue the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.
Laward said, “We are encouraging more people to get onboard so that we can continue this fight. There will be lot of things that will break you down, but please it is passion that is keeping us here, so we ask you to please put all the other things aside and let have passion for what we are doing.”
Also speaking at the dialogue, Sandra Flomo, a community SGBV Monitor praised the women organization and partners for implementing the project in the various communities adding, “SGBV case is not something easy.”
She lamented that, “We have men particularly in Peace Island and Doe communities who are very rude, they never regarded women, but because of this program it has been reduce, because ORWOCH give us tool to work with and also assigned police to us as we go about our awareness.”
She pleaded with the partners to kickstart the phrase two of the project so that more people can be impacted.
At the same time, Madam Susie Telleh, Commissioner at the Liberia National Police Women and Children Protections said they initiated meetings and discussions with community members as well as governmental organizations on how to combat SGBV.
The Women and Children section of the Liberia national police is charged with the responsibility to investigate all issues of sexual and gender-based violence and also trafficking, domestic violence.
Madam Telleh said the police is open to all community groups that worked in the interest of sexual and gender base violence. She said, “Our focus is to reduce or eradicate all issues of SGBV against women, girls, and boys as well.
According to her, they work with any community group that work in that interest of SGVB because they want to see the issue affecting women, girls, and boys in the country address.
The one day event brought together actors from the one stop centers, officials of government, and five communities (peace island, doe community, logan town, and Caldwell) to discuss strategies to ensure that communities are actively equip to monitored and prevent SGBV having adequate knowledge of the referral pathway and processes involve.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.