NAYMOTE LIBERIA TO TRAIN 50 YOUNG WOMEN ON THE VAWiEP PROTOCOL IN MARYLAND AND RIVER-GEE COUNTIES
Monrovia, January 23, 2023: Ahead of the General and Presidential Elections scheduled for October of this year, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development is expected to train fifty (50) young women in Maryland and River-gee counties on the WAWIEP Protocol.
According to Naymote’s Gender coordinator Faith Smith, the objective of the training is to ensure that women, youth and people living with disabilities are more aware of the VAWiE protocol, electoral process and the role of State Security during and after elections as well as how it can be fully implemented and monitored to ensure it meets the overall goal.
WAWIEP is Violence Against Women In Elections and Politics.The WAWIEP protocol commits political parties and actors to fully implement and popularized the document throughout the country.
In almost all recent elections in Liberia, there have been incidents of violence reported against women, including aspirants and candidates. The WAWIEP Protocol defines violence against women in politics as any act or threat against women in politics, women activists, women socialists and women candidates. The protocol has since been signed by the National Elections Commission (NEC) and Political parties executives on February 18, 2022 with support from UN Women.
Women in Liberia account for at least fifty percent of the population but they are underrepresented in the body politics of the country. Currently, there are nine (9) women out of 73 members forming the House of Representatives, and only two (2) women out of 30 Liberian Senators.
Madam Smith said the training will begin this Wednesday to Saturday, January 25-28, and will bring together local experts from the Liberia National Police, National Elections Commission local magistrates, County Gender Coordinators, and women activists to serve as facilitators while participants will be draw from people living with disabilities, youth and women in politics including members of the National Young Women Political Council of Liberia who believes that the “Legislature is Not for Men Alone”
The project is part of UN Women funded activities to ensure that citizens are aware of the WAWIEP Protocol that is geared towards ending Violence Against Women In Elections and Politics.
