Monrovia, Liberia - The Vice president of Liberia H.E Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor says the CDC-led government remains committed to respecting and protecting the rights of women in Liberia.

VP Howard-Taylor added that government is also committed to ensuring that girls are allowed to reach their full potential, guaranteeing that no opportunity is denied them to progress in their life. ‘This is the basic human right and we owe it to every woman and girl to live and grow up in a secured environment without any threat from any quarter’, VP Howard-Taylor emphasized.

The Liberian Vice President spoke today, Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at programs marking the celebration of the International day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation-FGM held at the Monrovia City Hall.

Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of the human rights of women and girls and denies their dignity, endangers their health and causes needless pain and suffering.

A 2016 survey by the National Working Group Against FGM shows that in Liberia, 40 percent of girls of school-going-age have suffered the practice. Globally, an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.

Though some progress has been made in Liberia, including the recent Executive Order which bans FGM, the practice is widespread and much more still needs to be done–working with all stakeholders including cultural and traditional leaders to enforce the ban.

VP Howard-Taylor therefore used the occasion to call on all Liberians and partners to remember that the fight against violence against women and girls is a collective responsibility that must be honored at every level.

Madam Howard-Taylor told the gathering that violence against women and girls takes many different forms including domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, child, early and forced marriage, sex trafficking and female genital mutilation.

According to a release from the office of the Vice president, Vice president Howard-Taylor asserted that violence against women and girls is one of the most significant barriers to end poverty.

She noted that violence against women and girls does not only devastate women’s live and divide communities, but also undermine development efforts and the building of strong democracies and peaceful societies.

The release quotes the Vice president as detesting violence, saying that violence locks women and girls into poverty, limits their choices and ability to access education.

President George M. Weah in his inaugural address assured that his government will focus on the country’s education system, improve health and sanitation, promote and strengthen gender equality, and provide for youth re-orientation and empowerment through training of all kinds, the creation of jobs, and the expansion of sports.