Significant investments in the campaign against violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Liberia are crucial to helping the country achieve its gender equality goal by 2023.

Development Diaries reports that the UN Women’s Country Representative for Liberia, Comfort Lamptey, said such investments will have a transformative impact on the lives of women and girls in the country.

Lamptey revealed this during a one-day programme as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign against sexual and other forms of violence against women and girls.

‘To fully prevent sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), various actions need to be taken, including financing the implementation of effective public and private sector laws, policies, and strategies; stronger support to women-led organizations and movements to enable them to actively advocate and mobilize for normative and structural change; and investing in homegrown solutions for transforming gendered norms at the root of SGBV’, Lamptey said.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) continues to be a major challenge for Liberia’s recovery after 14 years of war that ended in 2003.

Early marriage, rape, offensive touching (sexual assault), forced prostitution, wife inheritance and forced servitude are the main types of SGBV perpetrated in communities.

Development Diaries calls on Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to increase its efforts in financing VAWG prevention programmes across the country and ensure the enforcement of laws in collaboration with the country’s security agencies.

Photo source: EUCPHA