Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has pleaded with the European Union and the UN to increase funding for the heritage and vocational centers, built as an alternative for traditional leaders to end female genital mutilation (FGM) practice.
VP Taylor asserted although the government would provide assistance, partners must take the initiative on grounds that they spent millions of dollars to construct these centers.
“I want to make a clarion call that some attention needs to be paid so that those facilities that have been put in place don’t just sit and become empty,” she intoned.
However, traditional leaders were given these centers in Todee, rural Montserrado, Nimba, Lofa, and Grand Cape mount counties intended to encourage the eradication of FGM practices thus leading to Imposition of a three year ban on FGM in Montserrado county.
Announcing the ban, Chief Zanzan Karwor said, “By the power vested in me, as Chairman of all the traditional chiefs in 15 Counties, FGM is banned in this country” and he called on chiefs and elders to share the message around the country.”
Furthermore, with funding from the EU, the centers were constructed by UN Women under the framework of the European Union and United Nations Spotlight Initiative as an alternative to end FGM.
Speaking at the first Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights conference in Monrovia, VP Taylor used the occasion to plead with EU and the UN to further provide funding for the centers.
“I want to again use this platform to remind the international community that many promises have been made that as we shut down these systems a system will be put in place that women who improve their lives at these centers will get skills and be able to be productive,” she said.
Held in partnership with the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education(RFSU), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the Kvinna till Kvinna with support from the Swedish embassy, the event was hosted by the Amplifying Rights Network(ARN).
ARN, a coalition of ten civil society organizations in the field of sexual reproductive health and rights, comes as they claim growing public support for abortion legalization in Liberia.
Naomi Tulay-Solanke, the chairperson of the group said, “A prosperous Liberian society requires access to comprehensive, quality, gender responsive, and inclusive SRHR so that all Liberian, and in particular women, girls, sexual minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons in vulnerable situation have the tools, information, and services to make choices,”
He added that the conference served as a unique opportunity for SRHR actors to further advocate for laws and practices based on international standards and guidelines with human rights at its core and strengthen the movement.