IPNEWS-Monrovia: Ahead of International Day of a Girl on October 11, a civil society organization DOMAFEIGN along with their partners, ActionAid Liberia with funding support from Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency (SIDA), organized a four-day annual review and reflection action point through sporting activities and indoor program held in Gbarma District, Gbarpolu County that brought together five clans in the District.
The event comes as an activity of Just and Equal Communities (JEC) project that looks at accessibility of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights information and services for women, girls and disadvantaged groups which brought unity among the inhabitants to help fight violence against Girls and Women, Electoral Violence and the eradication of Harmful Traditional practices across the Country.
Speaking at the climax of their four-day Annual Community Reflection and Action Point program, over the weekend in Gbarma with huge participants across the County, the Executive Director of DOMAFEIGN, Mr. BOIMAH COLEMAN called on every Liberian to take a fight against Women and Girls, electoral violence and harmful traditional practices serious in order to maintain peace and restore human dignity in the Society.
DOMAFEIGN Director encouraged the Community-based Organizations (CBOs) to educate the public that teachers are not supposed to have sex with students for grade, no sex for job, no violence before, during and after elections, right to family planning among Young Girls and Women and stop the harmful traditional practices.
He called on the Government of Liberia to stop certificating traditional leaders who are involved in the harmful traditional practices and adhere to their International partners’ call in order to stop stigmatizing children growing up in their local setting.
Speaking on behalf of ActionAid Liberia during Sexual Harassment Exploitation and Abuse (SHEA) and Safeguarding session, the Communications Officer Mr. Khulekani Sibindi noted that SHEA is an international policy that is meant to prevent and protect vulnerable populations especially Women, Children, persons living with disabilities as well as Adult at risk.
“The policy has become an International working document that is compulsory to be adopted by all entities across the world including Liberia. He further noted that all ActionAid Liberia staff and implementing partners as well their vendors are not allowed to have relationships with the beneficiaries.
Should this happen, he noted that the community members have a mandate to report to the following numbers (gloria’s and Chue Numbers). Sibindi broke down the acronym SHEA and invited the participants to give relevant examples of each violence”, Mr. Sibindi asserted.
He further noted that Sexual Harassment is in three forms that includes, Verbal, Nonverbal and Physical. Present members also noted that Exploitation happens a lot in work places, schools markets, which at times result in rape. He concluded by educating the men present that women are not properties, instead they are the men’s helpers.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director for Gbarma Youths for Development and Collective Action Ms. Josephine M. Poole said the young girls have right to their body and no man should feel offended to carryout sexual violence against them.
The DOMAFEIGN however, organized three days sporting activities amongst Girls and boys within the four clans in the Gbarma district both in kick and footballing that brought together hundreds of the inhabitants to celebrate their Annual Community Reflection and Action Point program.
During the sporting activities, Matherline M. Sesay a captain of the Tarkpomah Clan kickball team who claimed to be member of their girls’ forum encouraged others to part take in their activities and discuss the social problems affecting them.
“We as a team of social workers from the human rights background that is, DOMAFEIGN with ACTIONAID LIBERIA like to inform the citizens of the Just Equal Community project (JEC) that in this project, we gather information around where young people will go out and be able to gather information around about their sexualities and free health services into places that it should be”, DOMAFEIGN program Officer, Foster Jenemana narrated at the Gbarma sports pitch over the weekend.
He said, their activities is aiming at sending message across the Country, of how young people will utilize the opportunities to educate others on their basic social challenges and finding solution to their problems.
According to him, their initiative has upgraded most of their mentees to be coming Community Based Organizations Ambassadors who are taking over their own responsibilities to spread the insignificant nature of Human dignity and rights in their respective society.
