ActionAid Liberia’s Five-year Country Strategy Paper III Launch Embraces Govt’s Efforts to Tackle Post-war Human Rights Challenges

MONROVIA — The Liberian government has acknowledged that the country continues to face post-war challenges in ensuring the human rights of its citizens, particularly women and children. Curtis Dorley, the Deputy Minister for Research, Policy, and Planning at the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, highlighted that sexual and gender-based violence remains a deeply rooted issue and a major post-conflict challenge for the government.

By Augustine Octavius, Contributing Writer

Minister Dorley made these remarks during his keynote speech at the official launch of Action Aid Liberia’s five-year strategy on rights and social justice in Monrovia on Wednesday. He cited a 2023 Afrobarometer survey, revealing that about 50 percent of Liberian women experience sexual and gender-based violence as a common issue in their communities. Additionally, the 2020 Liberia Demographic Survey indicated that approximately 60 percent of Liberian women aged 15-49 have faced physical or sexual violence.

“Female genital mutilation is another form of gender violence affecting women and girls, actively practiced in Liberia,” Minister Dorley stated. He added that the practice is entrenched in social norms and values, but the government is taking steps to ensure its cessation.

Elizabeth Gbah-Johnson, Country Director of Action Aid Liberia, provided an overview of the five-year strategy plan. She outlined three thematic areas: structural and systematic change, promoting democratic governance and female participation, and addressing climate change and disaster mitigation from a women-led perspective.

“Under the second theme, we aim to promote democratic governance, accountability, and female participation,” Gbah-Johnson explained. “For part three, we want to empower communities to adopt and mitigate the effects of climate change and disasters.”

She emphasized that the plan, titled “Action for Rights and Social Justice,” will be implemented in eleven of Liberia’s fifteen counties. The program aims to build capacity and strengthen organizations into full-fledged agencies through knowledge and skill transfer.

The launch event in Monrovia was attended by numerous representatives from ministries, international non-governmental organizations, implementing and donor partners, and foreign missions.