The Unity Nations in Liberia has ended activities of the Sixteen Days Against Gender-based Violence in Liberia. The climax of the event brought together students, youths, community leaders, organizations and diverse groups under the theme, “Recommitment, accountability, resourcing towards Beijing +30; unite to end violence against women and girls.”
Speaking at the occasion Monday, December 9, 2024 in Congo Town, UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia Madam Christine Umutoni said on average, every day, 140 women and girls are killed by someone in their own family and around one in three women still experience physical or sexual violence for which no country or community is unaffected.
“The situation is getting worse. Crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities. Horrendous sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war and women and girls face a torrent of online misogyny,” she said.
According to her, the situation is compounded by a growing backlash against women and girls’ rights; too often, legal protections are being rolled back, human rights trampled and women’s rights defenders threatened, harassed and killed for speaking out.
Madam Umutoni said the United Nations Spotlight Initiative and the UNiTE are expected by 2030 to end violence against women. However, all forces must join to end the scourge of violence against women and girls everywhere.
“The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy. Almost thirty years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action promised to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls – it’s beyond time to deliver,” Madam Umutoni said.
For her part, Liberia’s Gender Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie said it is challenging to move beyond conversations, beyond rhetoric, and to embrace accountability, resource mobilization, and transformative actions to ensure that women and girls can live free from fear and violence.
Minister Horace-Kollie said in Liberia, too many women and girls still endure violence in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities, saying that statistics remind everyone of the work ahead, but must not define us. Instead, they must propel us into action.
”Today’s Orange Community Festival serves as a powerful reminder of what collective action can achieve. It is a call for unity, a call to galvanize our individual and institutional efforts to ensure that every woman and girl in Liberia lives with dignity, respect, and the opportunity to fulfill her potential. It is now time we go beyond the huge gatherings, the big speeches and translate our commitments into tangibles,” she said.
The minister called on all stakeholders, including international partners, civil society organizations, private sector actors, the religious community (faith-based institutions), and political institutions, to prioritize this fight against gender-based violence. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing gender equality and eliminating gender-based violence.
