—As ABIC Brainstorm on Strategies to Tackle Violence and Drugs Addiction
IPNEWS: Amid the continuous increase of political and domestic violence across Liberia, the Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) has expressed fears ahead of the country’s 2023 general and presidential elections.
ABIC disclosed that if the problem of drug usage is not addressed immediately, they foresee that the upcoming elections could be more dangerous.
In order to address the issue, the organization held a two-day mediation dialogue with 200 participants who represented 4,000 people from 20 communities.
These participants included women leaders, town chiefs, paramount chiefs, and youth leaders from 20 communities in the counties of Montserrado and Bong.
According to the organization, this effort is a component of their implementation project “Sustainable and Inclusive Peace in Liberia through Promotion of Women’s Leadership.” It also highlights women’s participation in civic and political life and aims to strengthen their roles in conflict resolution engagement in Montserrado and Bong counties. ”
The program was also held under the auspices of the Angie Brooks Center for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, and International Peace and Security with support from the United Nation Peace Building Funds.
During the two-day interactive mediation dialogue held in Gbarnga, Bong County, the women said the issue of drug abuse and political violence have become a national emergency that must be attended to urgently to maintain the hard-earned peace Liberians have enjoyed over the last decades.
Some of the things highlighted during the meeting included discouraging the use of illicit drugs and the danger they pose to humanity; how illicit drugs can be stopped in communities?
The participants used the meeting to urged parents to observe their children’s behavior at home and report to relevant authorities if they notice any act of associating with drug dealers in the communities.
Many of the communities also recommended that ABIC intensifies its peace awareness program to educate non-users and users of illicit drugs on the dangers of illicit drugs.
They continued by calling for the establishment of a rehab center and a vocational training center to give skills training and empowerment opportunities to at-risk youths to deter them from using illicit drugs.
Following this call, communities immediately made pledges, including Gbarnga – 25 acres, Salala – 35 acres, while Toddee District pledged 50 acres of land.
Negotiations are underway with communities to erect rehabilitation centers. ABIC set a committee to choose which community will be suitable for the project.
At the same time, reacting to the increasing wave of political violence in communities and the danger it places on the security of Liberia, the participants also recommended that there should be a stakeholder’s dialogue and more training for election staff to be educated on how to avoid electoral violence during the discharge of their duty.
The participants also urged community dwellers not to allow them to be trucked or allow people from other communities to be trucked from one area to another.
It may be recalled that since the constitutional referendum of May 7, 1946 and coming into force on December 10, 1946, as preceded by a change in the constitution of Liberia by the national legislature granting women voting rights, women have impacted the development and maintenance of Liberia’s peace positively at local and international levels. This has given Liberia an outstanding pride on the international stage.
Cllr. Yvette Cheeson Wureh, Founder of ABIC and Coordinator of the Women’s Situation Room, told participants that women remain essential in maintaining Liberia’s peace during electioneering periods.
Cllr. Wureh, who served as one of the motivational speakers, urged the women and youths not to only use the training for them but rather use it to impact the children and communities in which they live. “When you become enlightened, strengthen your brothers and sisters as well.”
She disclosed that women, under the auspices of the women’s situation room, will be trained to the standard of the United Nations to observe electioneering periods in both Liberia and international countries.
She stated that countries gain and lose during the election period, and as such, it is critical for women to play a pivotal role as observers during the 2023 elections, a statement that was met with thunderous applause.
Cllr. Dr. Chesson Wureh motivated the women to make maximum use of the knowledge gained to save Liberia’s emerging democracy.
“This training is not for you but for your children and society. It is not what you gather, but what you scatter that adds value to your life; the more knowledgeable you are, the better you can save your country’s democracy,” she added.
Rev. Evan. Judy E. Stryker, one of the eminent women who spoke at the mediation dialogue, said that there are some factors that are responsible for political violence in every society.
However, Rev. Stryker attributed these factors to illicit drug abuse and addiction as well as a lack of political will.
She also intimated that the lack of proper monitoring and mentorship for children, poverty, and the lack of a collective approach to fight against illicit drug sales, drug use, and drug abuse are major factors Liberia is confronted with.
She, however, called on community dwellers, civil society, religious groups, the government and other relevant stakeholders to use a more holistic approach in combating drug abuse and political violence.
Since the inception of the fourteen years of civil unrest, drug addiction has become a major challenge to Liberia with an astronomical increase in the number of youth, men, women, and teen-age school kids who have become drug addicts, resulting in an increase in political and domestic violence.
