Isis-WICCE DOCUMENTS IN LIBERIA ^{Updated April 01, 08}

A research process to document women’s experiences during the armed conflict in Liberia by Isis-Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE) was launched on 31st March 2008 by the Liberian Minister of Gender and Development Hon Varbah Gayfor at the Ministry of Gender and Development conference hall in Monrovia, Liberia

In her remarks, Ms Varbah Gayfor emphasised the importance of the research to the Liberian women adding that it is an important aspect in influencing policy on issues that affect women and development in general. She was happy that the ordinary Liberian women who made things happen are being given the opportunity to tell their stories which will be the cornerstone of the whole research exercise. She noted that the Liberian women experienced so much but emphasised that when people are helped out of their traumatic situations, they rediscover themselves and have hope in the future.

She noted that the research is important for policy makers since the information generated can be used by them to guide government to undertake appropriate interventions to address concerns of women and improve their lives. “We are going to use whatever information that comes out from this research to enrich our decisions in planning and especially reinforce the national plan for action for the prevention and management of gender based violence”, she noted.

The Executive Director, Isis-WICCE, Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng reinstated the organisation’s goal of promoting justice and women’s empowerment through documenting women’s realities and facilitating exchange of information and skills to strengthen women’s potential and visibility

She explained that as is always the case, Isis-WICCE will ensure that the findings will be availed the government of Liberia to utilise them to transform the lives of women in the country. She explained that the research process will begin with the training of the research team to refresh them and provide them with practical skills of documenting women’s experience from a gender and human’s rights perspective. She thanked the Liberian ministry of Gender and development, WANEP/WIPNET and all the partners for their readiness to collaborate with the organisation in the effort that will help open a fruitful chapter in the lives of Liberian women survivors of war. She particularly thanked Amnesty International for supporting the exercise by providing eight field electronic recorders to reinforce the field recording and the whole documenting exercise.

The board chairperson of WANEP Mr Edward Mulbah welcomed the research as another important step in finding solutions to problems of women and girls who suffered most of the abuses in the 14 years of war in Liberia. He urged researchers to look at all perspectives of violations against women and girls and especially include concerns of those in internally displaced people’s camps. He applauded the government’s readiness and commitment to utilise the research findings and integrate them in mainstream development plans.

The one-month long research will be carried out in collaboration with the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development and the West African Network for Peace Building/Women in Peace Building Network (WANEP/WIPNET). The documentation that will be carried out under the theme “A situation analysis of the women survivors of the 1989-2003 armed conflict in Liberia” will cover four Liberian counties of Bong, Grand Kru, Maryland and Lofa that were affected by conflict at different stages during this period.

The research will analyse the overall human rights situation and abuse of women during the war as well as the progress of the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and reconstruction processes in as far as they affect women. The information collected during the research will be processed for corrective interventions and for redress.

Isis-WICCE research team includes 2 members from Amnesty International (AI) and a local team of seventeen Liberian research assistants. The research is funded and supported by the Norwegian Council for Africa, HIVOS, Sigrid Rausing Trust and the Open Society Institute.

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