A Patriot’s Diary
With Ekena Nyankun Juahgbe-Droh Wesley
The world will continue to uncharacteristically reminisce an uneven playing field when women, who make up an estimated 50 percent of the world’s population, do not have equal access, voice, visibility and cannot participate in all shades of decision-making processes. To every 102 men, there are 100 women. Only 1% of women in the world own property according to the United Nations. Women make up two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate people. Less than 50% of working-age women are in the labour market, a figure that has barely changed over the last quarter of a century, according to a new UN report launched today.
Like most parts of the world, women in the small West African nation continue to be marginalized across all spheres. Unlike the Scandinavian countries or perhaps Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South African, women have singularly led their own struggle for greater inclusion in decision-making.
When Liberia broke the jinx – electing Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Africa’s first democratically elected President, the landmark achievement became more of a symbolism that a victory for the emancipation of women around Africa. Lest we forget, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf fought tooth and nail in order to climb the ladder. She has over the years carried a resilient aura of assertiveness. The Liberia she was born, bred and buttered in did not give women the space to expand their firmament and explore their potentials.
Cultural nuances and inhibitions denied the girl child the kind of opportunity to seize the moment and become competitive. While our tradition is partly to blame for the mental craze, fundamental policies at the level of the state vis-à-vis government were not in place to help women and girls advance to become the quality of competitors the world demands.
Amid the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-incensed symbolism, women saw a new lease of opportunity to become challenging, resilient and aspiring. Although we said qualified women ascend to prominent positions under Madam Sirleaf, trappings of women’s participation at the level of the legislature proved negligible to say the least. We think much needs to be done to see women’s increased representation at the capitol.
Irrespective of whatever the chauvinistic views we hold about women, they undeniably remain the backbones of families let alone the nation. But how long can we continue to treat women and girls unfairly? The role of women in maintaining families is incomparable to men. In our villages and towns, while the men return from the farms with their hands swinging; the women carry their children on their backs, have to carry food on their heads and upon arrival, they have to prepare food for the family – most times, all by themselves. In the midst of all these chores, the women do not complain.
We have access to fresh foods in our markets because the women are committed to ensuring food stuff safely reaches the markets. But these women do not have access to soft loans aimed at supporting them to become self-sufficient. If we must be able to feed ourselves as a nation, we cannot ignore empowering women who till the soil and invest in feeding the nation.
Infant mortality cum life expectancy continues to pose a serious challenge as women and girls bear the brunt of the low side. Access to affordable healthcare remains nothing to write home about. Corruption is eating into the fabric of our society to the extent that it denies women and girls proper healthcare and education.
Only a patriotic and responsible leadership is bound to change the dynamics amid the capability to give hope to women and girls in Liberia. It comes with commitment to acknowledge women’s roles and contributions across the broad spectrum. Can there be reason for hope in the future? When we educate our girls and women, we place hope in the future.
We cannot fail to address rampant rape and systemic violence against women and girls on a daily basis but expect to make any fundamental difference to change the trajectory. We must rise to the challenge. In order to make that break from the past, new ideas, radical thought processes and pragmatic policies must be prioritized.
Never again should we sit supinely while rape and all forms of violence against women permeate the society. Our independence would attract true meaning for our women and girls. Stop all forms of violence against women and girls. Happy International Women’s Day!!
