The Center for Legal AID Support Service (CLASS) with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is conducting a two-day consultation training for media institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs) on legislative engagement and lawmaking processes and procedures.
The day one of the training on Thursday, January 9, 2025, brought 43 journalists as part of a process to mobilize experiences, expertise, influences and, to an extent if possible, the resources of national actors like the Media Institutions (MI) and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to establish a realistic strategy to engage the Legislature on law reforms, amendments and the making of new laws to reflect the safety and security of the people of Liberia through and by the law.
Speaking during the opening of the training, CLASS Chief Executive Officer Atty George N. King said the training aims to make journalists and CSOs part of the wider public awareness campaign on lawmaking processes and procedures.
“We are promoting the passage of three pending bills, two (the Liberia Correction Act and the Legal Aid Act) of which were introduced in the 54th Legislature, and somehow their whereabouts are unknown to date,” he said.
He said the Legal Aid Bill which is a proposed law will help diversify legal services in the country and will make people who have not gone to law school and become a lawyer to be trained in a special way to do such thing as legal investigation, advocacy for people rights in a more organize way, do follow – up cases in courts, and to help people who will not know or understand their way within the legal system.
He said the Liberia Correction Service Bill (proposed act) will remove the Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation (BR) from the Ministry of Justice and make a Semi – Autonomous Agency.
According to him, this law will give security and protection to all persons held in Liberian prisons either as convicted prisoners or pretrial detainees.
For his part, the Executive Director for Defense at Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) Folley Kawah encouraged journalists and implementers of the training to make use of constant direct engagement with legislators to act on legislative instruments proposed. Mr. Kawah said it is important to always remind lawmakers through phone calls, text messages and direct in person engagements.
By Lucky M. McGee
