The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Davidetta Browne Lansanah, has underscored the need to ensure that female candidates, political parties, women legislative caucus and the Coalition of Political Party Women in Liberia, (COPPWELL) have a broader understanding of the draft, Violence against Women in Election (VAWIE), protocol and action plan before the 2023 general elections in Liberia.
Chairperson Lananah said it is vital that traditional women leadership, the media, line ministries, female persons with disability (PWDs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and law enforcement officers also have a broader understanding of the draft VAWIE protocol and plan as the nation moves toward the 2023 general elections.
To ensure this, the Chairperson of the Liberia Elections Management Body (EMB) said she wants adequate awareness on how these stakeholders can respond to VAWIE incidents and how they can to protect themselves, and to secure evidence for prosecution and identify ways for complaint and redress as it relates to this VAWIE protocol.
The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC) spoke over the weekend in Gbarnga, Bong County, during a two-day awareness consultative meeting on the promotion of the draft violence against women in election protocol and action plan to ensure safe and inclusive discussion. The consultative meeting and awareness was organized by the Gender Section of NEC, with funding from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) election support office in Liberia.
In a related development, Cllr. Lansanah has paid a visit to the Kakata Magisterial Office, Margibi County, to assure the staff of the Commission’s commitment to continue to support their work under the leadership of the Assistant Magistrate, Fulton Yankae, who was appointed to hold on to the office in the absence of an appointed Magistrate.
The previous Magistrate, Fumba Swaray, was appointed Senior Legal Officer on April 1, 2021 after completing his studies at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia.
During the visit on Thursday, April 1, 2021, Assistant Magistrate Fulton Yankae assured the Chair of NEC of his commitment and that of the staff’s readiness to fulfill the task assigned to them.