The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has lauded the Government of Liberia for signing the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls as a state party.
As a means to proactively implementing the legal instrucment , AFELL urges the swift ratification, domestication, and full implementation of this critical instrument in a move to combat the pervasive violence faced by women and girls across Liberia, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
AFELL said it is convinced that such move will show the intentional commitment of the State for the implementation of the convention and other international human rights instruments to which Liberia is a state Party.
At the same time, Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, First Vice President of AFELL, emphasized that the signing of the Convention is timely, as violence against women and girls remains unabated in Liberia as it cuts across all sectors, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
According to her, violence manifests in many forms, including physical, sexual psychological, or economic violence by intimate partner, early child and forced marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that is deeply rooted in traditional and cultural beliefs.
Cllr. Taylor Kelley also indicated that the signing of the instrument by the Liberian Government must set the basis for the necessary reforms to ensure the implementation of the convention as a responsible state party.
” This is crucial because the instrument aims to address the root causes and drivers of violence against women and girls, strengthen legal and institutional mechanisms, and promote a culture of respect for human rights, gender equality, and the dignity of women and girls”, she added.
The Association of Female Lawyers (AFELL) was established and accredited on February 10, 1994, as a national nongovernmental and nonpolitical institution, with a mandate to promote and protect the rights of women, girls, and indigent persons in Liberia.
The institution’s core values are independence, impartiality, transparency, and accountability. Its motto is ‘Equal rights under the law’.
