WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY NEWS Archive: LIBERIA
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2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

2006

Unmil to Deal With 'Sexual ExploitatioN'
December 1, 2006- (The Inquirer, Monrovia) The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) says it takes the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse in the country very seriously and is at the moment implementing measures to prevent and deal with the issue.

Sexual violence against women and children remains a major concern in Liberia: UN
October 18, 2006 – (UN News Centre) Sexual violence against women and children remains a major concern in Liberia, according to a United Nations report released today, which also warns that weaknesses in the impoverished country’s judicial system, including inoperative courts and inefficient investigation, are violating the human rights of both victims and suspects.

Liberia: Pres. Sirleaf Gets African Leadership Award
October 11, 2006 – (The Analyst) Soon President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been named as the laureate of the 2006 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. The announcement was made yesterday by Hunger Project President Joan Holmes on a global conference call. The Prize, which includes a cash award to further the laureate's work for the well being of the people of Africa, will be presented at a gala award ceremony on October 21 at the New York Hilton Hotel.

UN envoy to Liberia praises the role of women at all levels of Government
October 2, 2006 – (UN News Centre) Speaking at a high-level forum in Liberia, which is run by Africa’s only female president, the top United Nations envoy to the country praised the role of women at all levels of Government, saying they bring a “different perspective” to development and stressing the benefits of their involvement, particularly in the health and education sectors.

Liberia: Ellen to Address Seminar On 'Women in Parliament'
September 27, 2006 – (The NEWS) On the occasion of the launch of its handbook "Women in Parliament - Beyond Numbers", the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in collaboration with the Government of Liberia will tomorrow host a one-day seminar at the Monrovia City Hall on the above topic.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia speaks about her maiden UN trip, the state of affairs in Liberia and other issues
Interview conducted by : James Butty, VOA Africa Program and Dr. Abdoulaye W. Dukule, Associate Editor at Theperspective.org

Sirleaf urges new operating structures for UN
September 20, 2006 - (RunningAfrica) Liberia's President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is urging member countries of the United nations not to operate on the structures designed sixty-one years ago when the organization was founded. She said, "times have changed, and with it, the world too has changed beyond our imagination when this organization was established. We are truly a global village, interconnected physically and electronically, increasingly bound by a shared commitment to confront and overcome the changes that threaten global peace, stability, and the well-being of our human family".

First Greeley peace prize awarded to Liberian women's group
September 8, 2006 – (UUA) A new peace prize named for the Rev. Dana McLean Greeley, the first president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, was awarded August 26 to the Women’s Desk of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia. The Dana McLean Greeley Memorial Prize for Peace was presented by UUA President William G. Sinkford to Fatumata Shariff, a representative of the Women’s Desk.

The Liberia’s National Security Alert: President Johnson-Sirleaf’s Government Needs Discipline to Stay the Course
August 17, 2006 – (The Perspective) Liberians made the right choice by electing Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as their President. Not only is she qualified, but also she brings much needed international credibility to the Liberian government. Over the past few months, she met with several of the world’s most prominent leaders in order to advocate international support for the rebuilding of the republic.

Liberia: UPF Peace Ambassadors Celebrate With Mary Brownell
July 14, 2006 – (The Analyst) The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) family in Liberia yesterday gathered to celebrate with their Chairperson Madam Mary N. Brownell for the "Tombouctou Award" she received on June 13, 2006 in Bamako, Mali. According to the Secretary General of the UPF-Liberia Chapter, Rev. Augustine S. Arkoi, the reception was organized by the Chapter to show recognition and celebrate the honor bestowed on our Chairperson Madam Mary Brownell by the Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS) for her contributions to the African women's peace movement.

'I wanted to take revenge'
July 7, 2006 – (The Guardian) An AK47 and a pair of red stilettos might, on the face of it, seem to have nothing in common. Surprisingly though, both are said to have played a significant role in recruiting young girl soldiers to fight in Liberia's civil war. The usual view of girl soldiers - who make up between 10 and 30% of some child armies - is that they are unwilling participants in conflicts, dragged kicking and screaming into government or rebel soldier battalions. Yet according to the new report Red Shoes: Experiences of Girl Combatants in Liberia, which details research by anthropologist Irma Specht, girls' motivation for fighting is often much more complex than previously thought.

UNMIL Boss Puts Up Defense, Says UN Has Taken Actions On Sexual Abuse
May 11, 2006 - (The Analyst) In the wake of recent reports said to be coming from the offices of a partner of the United Nations, Save the Children - UK concerning sexual exploitation and abuse of women and children in Liberia, the head of the UN Mission in Liberia, Alan Doss has expressed the UN's deepest concern about allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation.

U.N. Vows Strong Action on Staff Abuse
May 9, 2006 - (AP) The United Nations will take action against any employees who sexually abuse girls in Liberia, an official said Tuesday in response accusations that aid workers and peacekeepers were trading food for sex with girls left homeless by war. The aid group Save the Children, which surveyed nearly 160 children and about 170 adults who were either living in camps or had recently returned home, said Monday they were repeatedly told of girls having sex with older men in exchange for money, food and other goods.

Peacekeepers, teachers prey on Liberia girls-report
May 8, 2006 -(Reuters) U.N. peacekeepers, aid workers and teachers are having sex with Liberian girls as young as 8 in return for money, food or favours, threatening efforts to rebuild a nation wrecked by war, a report said on Monday.

Liberia, assisted by UN mission, re-launches police recruitment drive
April 21, 2006 –(UN News Service) The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) today re-launched a campaign to attract qualified candidates, particularly women, for the Liberia National Police (LNP), which must be strengthened and reformed before the mission completes its work building stability in the country as it emerges from the effects of a bloody, decade-long civil war.

Poll finds nearly 94 per cent of Liberians feel safer with UN peacekeeping
April 19, 2006 –(UN News Service) An overwhelming 94 per cent of Liberians said that the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) made them more secure in the aftermath of a bloody, decade-long civil war, and they gave high marks to the operation for its quick-impact projects and information outreach, according to a poll made public today.

LIBERIA: Rape victims’ voices not heard, aid workers
April 7, 2006 -(IRIN) The post-war reconstruction of battered buildings and shattered lives is underway in Liberia, but rape, a common weapon in the 14-years of fighting, is still a problem and some aid workers reckon it’s on the rise.

Women are Africa's political hope - Liberia is not the only female success story on this war-scarred continent - women's power there is growing
March 15, 2006 -(Newsday) Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress today. This historic honor, bestowed sparingly on international dignitaries, is a fitting tribute for Africa's first democratically elected female president. But Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is not an anomaly.

War Crimes Against Women
March 7, 2006 -(Deutsche Welthungerhilfe) Last year, two out of three women in Liberia became the victims of sexual violence. During the fourteen-year civil war, rape was used systematically as a weapon of war. Although the conflict has ended, violence against women continues unabated because the war has destroyed social values and norms and left a far greater tendency to resort to violence.

Is Liberia's Iron Lady Her Own 'Man'?
February 1, 2006 - (Financial Gazette) During Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's campaign to become modern Africa's first elected woman head of state last year, an enthusiastic group of her supporters often marched through the streets of their shattered country's capital, Monrovia, waving placards emblazoned with the message: "Ellen is our man".

UNIFEM Congratulates New Liberian President And Pledges $500,000 To Support Gender Ministry
January 23, 2006 - (UNIFEM News Release) The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) presented its congratulations to Liberia's new President, Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf, at her official inauguration ceremony in Monrovia on 16 January 2006, pledging US$500,000 to support the Ministry of Gender and Development, and women's organisations to promote gender equality and peace in the country.

Liberia elects Africa's first woman President - what does this mean for women?
January 20, 2006 - (AWID: Resource Net Friday File) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia's elected President, was sworn into office on January 16. AWID explores some of the implications for Liberia - after a protracted, violent civil war - and for the women of Africa, who are celebrating their first woman head of state.

Can Mama Ellen deliver liberty to Liberia?
Jan 19, 2006 - (Pambazuka News) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in this week as President of Liberia. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem wishes her well in what promises to be a stormy voyage, and raises questions about some of the problems that might crop up over the next four years.

Sirleaf becomes new Liberian president today - Pledges to unite country
January 16, 2005 – (Nigerian Tribune) Liberia's president-elect, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, pledged on Sunday to unite her war-battered country when she takes office today and earns the trust of international donors whose aid is crucial to rebuilding it.

2005

Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf commends Kadhafi`s efforts for Liberia
December 22, 2005- (AngolaPress) Liberia`s president-elect Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has thanked the Libyan leader, Colonel Moamar Kadhafi for his efforts for the return of peace, security and stability in her country.

Liberia must confront its past if it wants a brighter future
December 8, 2005 - (Baltimoresun.com) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, chosen president of Liberia last month in the country's first free polling in its 183-year history, is the first woman elected to a presidency in Africa.

Liberians Urged to Do Away With Gender-Base Violence
December 8, 2005 – (The Inquirer: Monrovia) The International Rescue Committee (IRC) gender-based violence program coordinator; Bibiane Nyiramana has urged Liberians to make the country free of violence, especially violence against women.

LIBERIA: No impunity for rapists, vows president-elect
5 December 2005 (IRIN) - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who will be Africa’s first female president when she takes office in Liberia next month, on Monday promised no rapist would go unpunished during her tenure.New legislation making rape illegal for the first time in Liberia was passed by parliament on Thursday amid a flurry of rape cases and accusations that have flooded the local media.

Gender and Politics in Liberia: A Not-So-Simple CorrelatioN
December 5, 2005 (Amsterdam News) – The recent election in Liberia is momentous in more ways than one. Most remarkable is the fact that the election itself took place at all in the wake of a long and bloody civil war.Equally significant is the emergence of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as the victorious candidate and thus, the first elected African female president.

Africa finally gets first female president as defeated soccer tsar calls for peace
November 15, 2005 - (IRIN) Africa won its first female president on Tuesday when counting ended in Liberia’s historic presidential poll, with former World Bank economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf garnering 59.4 percent against former soccer star George Weah. "Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has received 4778,526 votes corresponding to 59.4 percent and George Weah has received 327,046 votes corresponding to 40.6 percent,” said the head of the election commission, Frances Johnson-Morris.

Liberian May Be Africa's First Elected Female Prez
November 11, 2005 - (WOMENSENEWS): Twenty-year-old Lydia Boakar laughed loudly as she was shouting over to the two men sitting in the yard next to her modest mud house. The three were residents of the Plumcor camp for displaced people on the outskirts of the war-torn Liberian capital.

Support for Ellen Grows As Liberia Women Initiative, FDP Pledge Support
October 27, 2005 - (AllAfrica) As campaign activities for the runoff election scheduled for November 8, 2005 begin today, one of the two Presidential Candidates qualified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) to contest the runoff election, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf continues to receive support from diverse groupings and political institutions in the country.

Women Design New Nat'l Framework On Gender Based Violence
October 25, 2005 – (The Analyst) Women in Liberia are presently engaged in sharing experiences on sexually gender-based violence intended to afford them the opportunity to develop a national framework on gender protection.

Girl power takes centre stage as elections near
October 7, 2005 - (IRIN) Liberia's first polls after 14 years of bloody civil war might see a woman elected president, in what would be a first not only for Liberia but also for Africa.

Gender Ministry Launches Awareness Campaign
September 27, 2005 - (The Analyst) The Ministry of Gender and Development, along with several women organizations and its Partners within the United Nations system will on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 launch a major awareness campaign. The awareness is aimed at ensuring a huge turnout of women voters during polling on October 11, 2005.

New Women, Children Protection Section for Liberia Police
September 2, 2005 – (The Analyst) In a major step toward building a new protective environment for Liberia's children and women, a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a special facility for the newly established Women and Children Protection Section of the Liberian National Police (LNP) will take place here Friday, 2 September at National Police Headquarters.

LIBERIA: Study finds many girls selling bodies to pay for school
September 6, 2005 (IRIN) - As many as four out of five schoolgirls in war-scarred Liberia are resorting to having sex for cash so they can pay for their education, a study by British-based charity Save the Children has found.

Unicef Opens Two-Day Workshop On Girls' Education in Liberia
August 22, 2005 – (UN News) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) opened a policy review workshop on girls' education in Liberia today, bringing together some 50 participants to finalize a policy document aimed at promoting the full cycle of schooling by girls as the West African country recovers from 15 years of civil war.

Women Vow to Take Liberia's Leadership
August 2, 2005 – (The Analyst) "The advocacy for women of Liberia to play active political role in the country national leadership has been alluded to men failure to administer effective government in the past" these are the exact words of Harper City Mayor Reginal Sampson.

Rape, Sexual Violence in Check
July 28, 2005 – (The Analyst) The Ministry of Justice has presented a draft Bill on Rape and Sexual Violence to the Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL), Charles Gyude Bryant.

Women of FIRE (Friends Integrated for Remarkable Excellence) Lighting Up Flames of Hope
July 14, 2005 – (Liberian Observer) With the urgent need to assist the war-weary in Liberia, the women of FIRE stood ready and began to contribute humanitarian and other relief materials to the most vulnerable.

Gender Minister Launches Awareness Campaign Against Violence
July 8, 2005 – (Liberian Observer) Vabah Gayflor says violence against women and children is one of the greatest problems facing Liberia today. Gender and Development Minister Vabah Gayflor launched a year long national campaign against gender violence with a call on the transitional legislative assembly to speed up the enactment of the new rape bill.

NEC Will Demand 30% Women Candidates says Chairman Morris
June 23, 2005 – (The Inquirer Monrovia) Frances Johnson- Morris says the commission will demand that 30 percent of all political parties candidates to contest the October elections must be women.

KAF Back Women in Politics Begin W'shop Today
June 16, 2005 – (The NEWS, Monrovia) Women participation in political leadership of the country has been very low key for decades. The low percentage of women in politics is due to several factors, among which, is the belief that women are often considered housewives, therefore, they cannot be active political players.

Gayflor Discusses Gender Equality
June 10, 2005 - (The Analyst) The Minister of Gender Ministry Vabah Gayflor has been discussing the issue of gender equalities and the empowerment of women as a national priority concern.

ECOWAS Official Slams Women’s Exclusion From Head Of State
May 31, 2005 - (The Analyst) The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Remi Artificial, has raised the question of why women were still being excluded from the much-coveted position of Head of State and government.

NEW NGO ESTABLISHED
May 20, 2005 - (The Analyst) A new non-governmental organization (NGO) expected to cater to women, children and war-affected females has been formed.

LIBERIA: UNMIL Investigating Alleged Sexual Misconduct by Peacekeepers in Four Incidents
May 3. 2005 - (IRIN) Allegations of sexual misconduct by UN peacekeepers serving in Liberia have been substantiated in four incidents and investigations launched, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) told IRIN on Tuesday.

U.N. Confirms Sex Abuse by Peacekeepers in Liberia
April 29, 2005 - (Reuters) The United Nations is pressing ahead with a crackdown on sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in Liberia after finding that some allegations leveled so far were true, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday.

UN Probes Allegations of Sexual Exploitation by Peacekeepers in Liberia
April 29, 2005 – (UN News) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia has been investigating allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by its personnel and has sought cooperation from the troop contributing countries, a UN spokesman said today.

CCC Identifies With Female Ex-Combatants, Others in T'burg
April 27, 2005 - (Allafrica) One of Liberia's leading humanitarian organizations, the Concerned Christian Community (CCC), on Monday distributed 12 bags of rice and several cartons of assorted relief items to war-affected women and female ex-combatants in Tubmanburg, Bomi County.

Girls forced to serve in armed conflicts worldwide
April 25, 2005 - (BBC) A report from Save The Children estimates 120,000 girls have been abducted and forced to serve as soldiers, sex slaves and domestic workers in armed conflicts around the world. While the report highlights abuses in Uganda, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, Mike Aaronson, director general of Save the Children, says, "This appalling abuse of girls' rights demands urgent action. Its time to stop the war on children."

Call for Women's Participation Stressed
April 25, 2005 - (The Inquirer) Liberian Christian and Muslim women are calling for more women participation in the social, economic and political decision-making in the October elections. The Christian and Muslim women in their mission statement called for a corruption-free society, education and justice for both woman and man.

LIBERIA: Daddy wore a blue helmet
April 21, 2005 - (The Economist) THE UNECO children's centre looks like any other Liberian school. Its pupils wear smartish uniforms and are eager, after 14 years of civil war and not much schooling, to learn. What is unusual is that every child at UNECO has been fathered by a foreign peacekeeper and then abandoned. The centre was founded by Dr Abraham Cole, a local teacher, "to show our gratitude to peacekeepers by taking care of their children."

Bryant Proposes Stiff Penalty for Rapists
April 20, 2005 - (Liberian Observer) he Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia frowns on the weakness of the law on rape and mild penalty for the offense.

Liberian youths launch platform against gender violence
April 12, 2005 - (UNHCR) Every weekend, Amadou Temeh creates a scene in a different village in central Liberia. He and his friends act, sing and dance, anything to draw people's attention to their cause – the battle against sexual and gender-based violence.

Daddy wore a blue helmet
April 21, 2005 - (The Economist) THE UNECO children's centre looks like any other Liberian school. Its pupils wear smartish uniforms and are eager, after 14 years of civil war and not much schooling, to learn. What is unusual is that every child at UNECO has been fathered by a foreign peacekeeper and then abandoned. The centre was founded by Dr Abraham Cole, a local teacher, "to show our gratitude to peacekeepers by taking care of their children."

"No Go" Zones to Prevent Sex Abuse by U.N. Peacekeepers
April 4, 2005 - (IPS) As charges mount of sexual abuse and child molestation by U.N. peacekeepers, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has drawn up a list of "no go" zones barring visits by blue-helmeted soldiers and civilian staff.

U.N. Faces More Accusations of Sexual Misconduct
March 13, 2005 - (Washington Post) The United Nations is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct by U.N. personnel in Burundi, Haiti, Liberia and elsewhere, which is complicating the organization's efforts
to contain a sexual abuse scandal that has tarnished its Nobel Prize-winning peacekeepers in Congo.

UN Personnel Risk Dismissal
March 3, 2005 - (The Analyst - Monrovia) Personnel serving with the United Nation Mission In Liberia and other agencies of the world body may lose their respective jobs if found in practices unacceptable to
the principles and norms of the UN system.

Extremely Vulnerable to HIV
February 4, 2005 - (Refugees International) “AIDS is going to be a big problem in Liberia,” said the doctor in Nimba county. “We are seeing full blown cases of AIDS but there is nothing we can do for them. We can’t test them to see if they have AIDS since the nearest testing facility is a 14-hour drive away. We don’t have the facilities to treat them and we certainly don’t have drugs to help them. We feel helpless in the face of this epidemic.” While the official prevalence HIV rate is 8.2%, health providers and others believe that the HIV infection rate is much higher. There hasn’t been a survey since before the war but all indicators of a problem are evident.

Liberian Women in Diaspora To Benefit From IOM
January 20, 2005 - (The Analyst - Monrovia) The Assistant Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Abraham Korvah, has disclosed that Liberian women in Diaspora, notably Canada, USA and UK, are to benefit from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) program.

Women Decry Criminal Activities
January 20, 2005 - (The Inquirer - Monrovia) Liberian women want the government to institute prompt action against suspected criminals who continue to pose threat to peaceful residents in the Capital, and other parts of the country.

2004

NTLA Misleads Women Groups - Gender Minister Expresses Frustrations
December 23, 2004 - (The Analyst - Monrovia) The Minister of Gender and Development, Mrs. Vabah Gayflor, has expressed frustrations over the NTLA refusal to include gender issues in the recent endorsed electoral reform bill.

Still Impunity for Rape in Liberia
December 14, 2004 - (afrol News) - Sexual violence is believed to have affected around two-thirds of Liberia's female population as a result of the civil war. No single person has yet been prosecuted for this enormous war crime. Human rights groups now demand that there shall be "no impunity for rape" in Liberia.

Liberia: Women Still Suffer, and Wait for Justice
November 25, 2004 - (World Council of Churches )The following feature is issued as part of a 25 November - 10 December 2004 "Wings of a Dove" campaign by churches and church-related organizations around the world. During the campaign, worship services and prayer vigils, discussions and exhibitions will promote increased public awareness on violence against women and children, in an attempt to bring justice and healing to those who are suffering from violence.

We'll Not Accept Rice for Votes Anymore,' Liberian Women Declare
October 18, 2004 - (The Inquirer - Monrovia) The women of Liberia say they are aware enough now that rice is being used by politicians in the country as a political tool and have therefore, vowed not to accept rice for votes anymore.

With Reports of Harassment in Guthrie Women Group Urges LURD to Take Decisive Action
September 16, 2004 - (The Inquirer - Monrovia) A cross-section of women, under the banner "Traditional Women United for Peace", has urged the leadership of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to take a decisive and prompt action thus bringing to a halt news reports about some of its men causing trouble at the Guthrie Rubber Plantation in Bomi County.

LIBERIA: WOMEN WANT CONSTITUTION AMENDED
August 25, 2004 - (The Inquirer) The women are calling for the amendment of 14.70 of the New Penal Code as reflected in the constitution of the Republic of Liberia which they believe, has not spelt out any severe punishment for rape, a crime which under the constitution, is a second degree felony and is punishable with a five-year imprisonment or the imposition of fine on the rapist while the victim remained forgotten.

WOMEN ON NTLA'S BACK - WANT CULTURE OF IMPUNITY TO STOP
August 18, 2004 - (The Analyst) The Liberian Women Mass Action for Peace under the auspices of Women in Peace-building Network (WIPNET) has called on the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) to check the culture of impunity in the Liberian society.

ONE YEAR AFTER ACCRA, IMMENSE HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGES REMAIN
August 17, 2004 - (Amnesty) Hopes were raised on 18 August last year that Liberia’s protracted human rights crisis would finally end but major challenges remain, Amnesty International said today in a new report.

MRU WOMEN ON PEACE, UNITY OVERTURES
July 15, 2004 - (The Analyst) The 14 years civil conflict did not only sour the human relationship among Liberians but did similar things in neighboring countries of the Mano River Union (MRU).

GOVERNMENT WANTS MORE WOMEN TO JOIN NEW POLICE FORCE
July 12, 2004 - (IRIN) Gyude Bryant, the chairman of Liberia's transitional government, said on Monday he was disappointed at the low number of women applying to join the country's new police force and appealed for more female candidates to come forward.

GIRLS IN LIBERIA STILL FACE RAPE, SUFFERING AFTER CIVIL WAR
June 30, 2004 - (Agence France-Presse) The fighting in Liberia has been over for a year but girls are still facing rape, violence and neglect in the west African country, an activist group said here on Wednesday.

LIBERIA BANK FOR DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT DONATES TO WOMEN GROUP
June 21, 2004 - (The Analyst) The Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) continues to demonstrate that it is truly the people's bank and that it is its business to serve and save them in whatever way it can.

PEACEKEEPING MISSION MIGHT DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD TO TRAFFICKED VICTIMS
June 2004 – (ISIS) The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) may be doing more harm than good to women victims of trafficking in the country, concludes a special report by Refugees International (RI), an organisation based in Washington, D.C. in the USA.

TRAUMA OF WAR RESURFACES, OFTEN AMONG WOMEN REFUGEES
May 27, 2004 – (Inter Press Service) Under a makeshift tent in the Laine refugee camp in southern Guinea, Charlesetta Kollie, a Liberian refugee, buckles down to teach dressmaking to a new group of apprentice.

LIBERIA'S DISPLACED WOMEN LEARN TO LEAD THE WAY HOME
May 17, 2004 - (UNHCR) Georgia Power, 47, learnt about her rights the hard way. Abandoned by her husband more than 10 years ago, she was left to fend for herself and her eight children in Browns Town, near the Liberian capital of Monrovia. "He didn't care about the children dropping out of school," she recalls.

ROLE OF LIBERIAN WOMEN IN PEACE-MAKING HAILED
May 14, 2004 – (UNMIL) Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN Operations in Liberia Jacques Paul Klein yesterday paid tribute to the central role played by the "courageous women" of Liberia in advancing the peace process during and after the protracted civil war.

LIBERIA: NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE WORKS ON ACTION PLAN 2004-2005
May 12, 2004- (UNDP) 250 women from all parts of Liberia started last Monday in Monrovia the "National Women's Conference on Peace and Socio-Economic Recovery in Liberia". They are meeting during one week to develop a national framework for the participation of women in the peace, the rehabilitation and the reconstruction process of Liberia. The conference is organized by the Ministry of Gender and Development and is supported by UNDP-Liberia, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UNMIL, as well as the UN system's specialized Agencies.

REBUILDING OF LIBERIA MUST INVOLVE FULL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
May 10, 2004 – (UNIFEM) Speaking today at the National Women's Conference on Peace and Socio-Economic Recovery in Liberia, Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) emphasized the centrality of women's participation and leadership in all phases of the country's recovery, including processes of disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation. She described the conference as a celebration of the courage of Liberia's women, of their resilience and capacity for leadership amidst the trauma and devastation of conflict over the past decade. "The women of Liberia know the cost of conflict, of failed states and ruined economies ... Despite these experiences they have taken responsibility for sustaining their families and communities ... This conference is a statement by the women of this country of their right to be partners in charting Liberia's transition process," she said.

LIBERIA: UNMIL’S CRACKDOWN ON TRAFFICKING PUTS WOMEN AT RISK
May 10, 2004 – (Refugees International) In Liberia, crime has returned with vigor after the civil war. In addition to street crime and burglary, there are increasing reports of Ukrainian and Moroccan women being trafficked into Monrovia to serve as prostitutes in popular bars that double as brothels. The UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, says it is taking the problem seriously. UNMIL’s Civilian Police (CIVPOL) has hired an officer to address human trafficking. However, by not coordinating her efforts with NGOs and other supporting organizations, her independent actions may actually be exacerbating the problem.

BONG WOMEN ON DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
May 4, 2004 – (The Analyst - Monrovia) Thousands of Bong County Women residing in and around Monrovia over the weekend converged at the Monrovia City Hall in support of a launching program of the Bong County Women Organization.

LIBERIA CALLED "RIPE" FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION BY FOREIGN WORKERS
April 21, 2004 – (UN Wire) Despite measures taken since sexual exploitation of refugees by humanitarian workers in West Africa was revealed in 2002, "conditions are ripe" for a sexual exploitation scandal in Liberia, Refugees International warned yesterday.

ALARM AT LIBERIAN RITUAL KILLINGS
March 19, 2004 – (BBC) Bodies of children have been found with some of their organs missing, taken for what are viewed as magical properties.

GENDER UNIT HOLDS OPEN FORUM WITH WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS
March 18, 2004 – (UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL) The Gender Unit of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) held its first open forum on 16 March with Liberian women's organizations to share information on the diverse activities carried out by the different organizations and to identify ways of networking and collaborating.

SAMARITAN'S PURSE REHABILITATES DEMOBILIZED FEMALE SOLDIERS
March 18, 2004 - (Samaritan's Purse) Samaritan's Purse (SP) is managing two rehabilitation facilities for demobilized girl soldiers and military wives in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. After years of armed civil conflict, Liberia is working to bring about peace and freedom for its citizens. As rebel forces are being dismantled, thousands of forced female combatants (girl soldiers) and military wives are being demobilized into a society for which they do not have the needed skills to survive. In response to this need, Samaritan's Purse is coordinating two separate facilities to equip these women with counseling and training as they reintegrate back into civilian life.

LIBERIA: STUDY OF SEXUAL ABUSE DURING CIVIL WAR UNDER WAY
March 3, 2004 – (IRIN) The United Nations and World Vision are conducting a joint survey of sexual violence committed during the last four years of Liberia's civil war, which will be submitted to the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

'WE WERE FORCED TO FIGHT'--FEMALE EX-COMBATANTS EXPLAIN
February 23, 2004 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Female ex-combatants at the Samaritan Home in Paynesville say they were forcefully recruited by rebel commanders to fight the decade long Liberian civil war.

JUSTICE SEEKS LEGISLATION AGAINST RAPE
February 17, 2004 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) The Justice Ministry has reiterated that it would seek the appropriate legislation that would curtail rape in the Liberian society.

FULL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN CRITICAL FOR RECONSTRUCTION IN LIBERIA
February 5, 2004 – (UNIFEM Press Release) During UNIFEM Seminar, Gender Minister Calls for Increased Recognition of Women's Needs.

LIBERIA: HUMAN RIGHTS MUST BE PRIORITY AT INTERNATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE
February 4, 2004 – (Amnesty International) As the international community meets in New York on 5 and 6 February to discuss post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia, Amnesty International urges that good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights are given the highest priority.

GROUP SEEKS LIBERIA CHILD-SOLDIER REHAB
February 2, 2004 – (AP) If Liberia's fragile peace is to hold, international donors must pledge more money to rehabilitate the West African nation's child soldiers to ensure that they — and new generations — don't take up arms again, a leading human rights group said Monday.

FIGHTERS RAPE AND LOOT IN AREAS LACKING PEACEKEEPERS
January 21, 2004 – (HRW) Fighters who took part in Liberia’s armed conflict have been raping and looting civilians in areas that lack international peacekeepers, despite a ceasefire and peace agreement in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in a briefing paper released ahead of a major international donors’ conference on Liberia in early February. For the briefing paper, visit: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/liberia0104.htm

LIBERIAN WARLORD GIVEN THE SACK BY HIS WIFE
January 21, 2004 – (The Guardian) As warlords go, Sekou Conneh seemed a success. He led a rebel army which chased a tyrant into exile. He was spoken of as Liberia's next president, as one of Africa's big men.

ARREST GANG RAPISTS, WOMEN GROUP DEMANDS
January 15, 2004 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) The Liberia Women Action Committee (LIWOMAC) is calling on the Government to take urgent action to arrest and prosecute several men who allegedly robbed and gang raped a young woman last Sunday evening around the Newport Street area.

LIBERIAN INTERIM POLICE TRAINING COURSE LAUNCHED
January 12, 2004 – (UNMIL) The Interim Police Training Course (IPTC), an initiative of the International Police Service of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), was launched today at the Liberian National Police Academy, with the enrollment of the first class of 24 men and one woman.

LIBERIAN WOMAN COMMANDS MERCENARIES IN KORHOGO
January 2, 2004 – (IRIN) Awa Michel, a short dark robust woman in her mid 30's, busies herself cooking rice and fish soup over two coal pots outside her house in Cote d'Ivoire's northern city of Korhogo.

2003

VIEWPOINT: LIBERIAN WOMEN NEED GREATER VOICE
December 23, 2003 – (Reuters Foundation - AlertNet) Ruth Cesear is one of only three women members of Liberia’s new parliament and the first to hold a seat for women and children’s rights. She talks to Tearfund’s Jo Hill about the challenges facing the transitional government and her own experiences during 14 years of brutal civil conflict.

WOMEN IDENTIFY FLAWS IN DDRR PROGRAM, WANT TO ASSIST
December 12, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Women acting under the banner of "Concerned Women of Liberia", say they have identified flaws in the disarmament exercise for which they want the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to "allow Liberians with the requisite experience to help.

CONCERNED CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY TRAINS 54 VULNERABLE WOMEN
December 10, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Some 54 vulnerable women sheltering at internally displaced centers in Montserrado and Bong Counties last Thursday received certificates from the Concerned Christian Community (CCC) after successfully completing six months training in various disciplines.

SPEAK OUT FOR RIGHTS NOW --GENDER MINISTER TELLS WOMEN
December 9, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Gender and Development Minister Vaba Gayflor has challenged women groups and organizations to speak out for their rights, especially during these two years transitional period.

WOMEN WANT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THEM TO STOP
December 5, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) About 100 young women from various regional and ecumenical churches around Liberia are calling for the immediate end to all forms of discrimination against women in Liberia including rape, torture, intimidation and harassment.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ARE BEING CUT OF FROM ANY AID
December 4, 2003 – (Humedica) For the first time in many years it is possible for the humanitarian organizations to reach the remote areas of Liberia. A line-up team of Humedica went to the South of the country in the areas of Maryland, Grand Kru and River Gee. They were shocked. Hospitals, Ambulances, everything was completely looted; there are no doctors, no medicines, and no food. The only place that still can be used at the moment is the mortuary.

MARWOPNET AWARDED 2003 UNITED NATIONS PRIZE IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS (English and French)
December 3, 2003 – (FAS) Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) is happy to announce that the Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET) has been awarded the United Nations Prize for Human Rights for 2003 by the UN General Assembly in recognition of its outstanding achievement in human rights. The 2003 Prize will be presented by UN General Assembly President, Jan Kavan, at an event at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 December 2003, as part of the annual commemoration of Human Rights Day. A delegation from MARWOPNET consisting of its Chair, Mrs Saran Daraba Kaba (Guinea), and two Vice-Chairs, Mrs Theresa Leigh-Sherman (Liberia) and Mrs Agnes Taylor-Lewis (Sierra Leone), accompanied by FAS’s Executive Director, Mrs Bineta Diop (Senegal), will accept the Prize.

ADRIFT AND ALONE, LIBERIA'S WOMEN CONFRONT NEW CHALLENGES IN AN ERA OF PEACE
December 2, 2003 - (AFP) Only the barest of smiles crosses Leslie Momo's face as she gazes down at her week-old daughter Fatou, whom she says reminds her of the husband she lost in the final terrifying weeks of war that ravaged Liberia.

URGENT PROTECTION NEEDED AS PEACE REMAINS ELUSIVE FOR THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS
November 24, 2003 – (Amnesty International Press Release) Despite the peace agreement of 18 August 2003 and the establishment of a United Nations (UN) peace-keeping operation, civilians continue to be killed, raped, used as forced labour and driven from their homes, an Amnesty International delegation recently returned from Liberia concluded.

WOMEN DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IN LIBERIA
November 21, 2003 – (The Independent - London) HUNDREDS OF women marched through Liberia's capital yesterday demanding swift disarmament of fighters who have preyed on women throughout the west African country's 14 years of civil war.

ALL SIDES IN LIBERIAN CONFLICT MAKE WOMEN SPOILS OF WAR
November 20, 2003 – (NYT) On that burning hot morning, peace had already been declared in this war-beaten country, West African peacekeepers were on the ground and President Charles G. Taylor had already left the country, ushering in what was widely seen as an end to strife.

LIBERIAN CHILD REFUGEES BACK IN THE ARMS OF THEIR FAMILIES
November 19, 2003 - (AFP) When Foumba Kanneh fled the fighting in his native Liberia more than two years ago for Guinea, he knew that one day, somehow, he would be reunited with his family.

INTERVIEWS WITH DISPLACED WOMEN
November 11, 2003 – (Oxfam) "We need UNMIL to go there first to make it safe." Theresa is a feisty 29 year old who clearly relishes her work. For the past three years she has been working as a "community motivator" for Oxfam in camps for families displaced by Liberia's civil war. She teaches people basic hygiene so they can avoid disease.

WOMEN MUST RISE TO THE TOP -SAYS MADAM COOPER
November 7, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Liberian women have been urged to develop a new posture in political decision making by rising to the top of their respective political parties.

MEDICAL HELP FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
October 2003 – (MSF) Medicins Sans Frontiers has set up a project to treat the victims of rape and sexual violence near Liberia's capital, Monrovia, in the wake of the drawn-out civil war that has decimated the country over the last 14 years. The project opened in the first week of October. It is feared that a high proportion of woman and children suffered brutal sexual abuse or attacks during the course of the conflict, with women being taken from their families and used as 'sex slaves', and children as young as five being assaulted.

MANY WOMEN DYING FROM PREGNANCY RELATED PROBLEMS, UNFPA SAYS
October 6, 2003 – (IRIN) The number of displaced Liberian women who have contracted reproductive tract infections and those dying from pregnancy related complications that could be treated is alarming, the United Nations population fund (UNFPA) said.

COMBATANTS STILL HARASSING CIVILIANS IN LIBERIA
October 2, 2003 – (World Vision) Armed combatants are still harassing civilians in Liberia's countryside. World Vision Protection Specialist, Doris Knoechel, who visited Totota IDP camps, 125 km north of Monrovia, said frightened women reported being harassed and beaten by combatants.

TERRORIZED LIBERIANS DEMAND PROTECTION
October 2, 2003 – (AP) Terrorized civilians demanded Thursday that Liberia's new U.N. force protect them from systematic looting and rapes occurring in the aftermath of a deadly firefight in the capital between rebels and the government.

LIBERIAN REBELS USE CIVILIANS AS FORCED LABOUR, UN SAYS
September 22, 2003 - (IRIN) Both of Liberia's rebel movements are subjecting civilians to forced labour and there are reports that some civilians near the rebel-held town of Gbarnga have died of starvation, the United Nations said.

GREATER PROTECTION REQUIRED FOR CIVILIANS STILL AT RISK IN LIBERIA: A HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH BRIEFING PAPER
September 9, 2003 – (HRW) This information is based on interviews conducted by a Human Rights Watch researcher in Liberia from August 23 - September 9, 2003. The interviews were conducted in Monrovia and Buchanan with displaced persons, child soldiers, rape victims, and humanitarian and human rights workers, among others.

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE KLEIN RECEIVES DELEGATION FROM WOMEN'S PEACE MOVEMENT
September 3, 2003 – (UNDPI) The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Liberia, Jacques Paul Klein, received today in his office a delegation from the Women in Peace-building Network Liberia (WIPNET). The women expressed their concern over the suffering of the population in areas where incidents of fighting have been reported over the past few days. The leader of the delegation, Country Coordinator Leymah Gbowee, presented a petition to Mr. Klein calling on the United Nations to use every means to ensure that the Parties engaged in hostilities adhered to the ceasefire.

AUGUST 2003

SOLDIERS WITH DOLLS AND BLUE HAIR GEL
August 29, 2003 (Washington Post) In an abandoned building up a muddy footpath strewn with trash, Rachel Wesseh, 15, twirled her doll's brown hair and watched nervously as a 28-year-old man who described himself as her boyfriend inhaled a long puff of marijuana.

MANO RIVER WOMEN'S PEACE NETWORK (MARWOPNET) SIGNS ON PEACE AGREEMENT IN AKOSOMBO
August 29, 2003 – (MARWOPNET Press Release - Liberia) A delegation of eight women from the Liberia Chapter of the Mano River Women's Peace Network (MARWOPNET) led by Mrs. Ruth Sando Perry, former Liberian Head of State, and Mrs. Theresa Leigh-Sherman, Vice-President of MARWOPNET, has been participating for the last two months in the Liberia peace talks held in Akosombo, Ghana.

RAPE STILL WIDESPREAD IN POST-WAR LIBERIA
August 28, 2003 – (AFP) Liberian girls and women, the victims of widespread rape since war broke out four years ago, are still being preyed on even as a peace deal is being implemented in the war-torn west African country.

PHOTOQUOTES - THE VOICES OF LIBERIAN CHILDREN & WOMEN CAUGHT IN CONFLICT
August 28, 2003 – (UNICEF) "My favorite things are books with stories. I like stories the best. Yes, I know a story", says Vera, taking a deep breath before her words come pouring out. "One day there was a girl and she was walking down the road in my village and she was carrying a bag of rice. Then some fighters came up to the girl and they yelled at her saying they wanted the rice. But the girl said the rice was for her family. So the fighters shot her and she fell down dead on the road. Then the fighters took the rice and they left. They were laughing. She was a friend of mine from my village." Vera, an 11-year old girl, whose 'story' is unfortunately true. Vera has benefited from UNICEF-supported psychosocial care at the internally displaced persons camp in which she was living outside Monrovia.

AID GIVEN TO RAPE SURVIVORS IN MONROVIA, AS PREVENTION EFFORTS BEGIN
August 28, 2003 – (IRC) At the Samuel K. Doe National Stadium in Monrovia, the Flomo family of nine crowds into a small space underneath the first tier of seats. Thousands of these spaces have been carved out and separated from one another by tarpaulin and blankets for the more than 65,000 displaced Liberians seeking shelter at the squalid and congested facility.

LIBERIA'S WOMEN KILLERS
August 26, 2003 – (BBC) "Black Diamond" and her comrades may look like any bunch of street-wise girls with attitude but they have the military hardware to back up the look.

THE SISTERS-IN-ARMS OF LIBERIA'S WAR
August 26, 2003 – (CSM) Black Diamond could be the prototype for an action hero, a sort of African "Lara Croft." She's all sleek muscle and form-fitting clothes, with an AK-47 and red beret.

IN LIBERIA THOUSANDS DISPLACED BY RENEWED FIGHTING NEAR AIRPORT – “MAINLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN”
August 24, 2003 - (IRIN) Thousands of civilians were displaced by renewed clashes between Liberian government troops and rebel fighters at the weekend. The fighting took place less than a week after the signing of a peace agreement that was supposed to end 14 years of civil war.

UNFPA SEEKS FUNDS FOR LIBERIA; RAPE ON THE RISE
August 11, 2003 – (UN Wire) As part of the United Nations' $69 million emergency appeal for Liberia, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) last week announced it is seeking $1.9 million for reproductive health care services in the war-torn country.

RAPE SURGES AMID ANARCHY IN LIBERIA
August 9, 2003 – (AP) Clutching her daughter's photograph to her breast, Rebecca throws back her head and wails. Gunmen burst into her home and raped the child on her 10th birthday, leaving her lying in a pool of blood and vomit — dead.

LIBERIAN FIGHTERS IN FRENZY OF RAPE
August 8, 2003 - (The Guardian) Liberian rebels and government soldiers, some aged 12 or even younger, are assaulting thousands of girls and women under the cover of war, aid workers said yesterday. More than 600 rapes have been documented in Monrovia since July, but that is thought to be a small fraction of the real figure.

ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SUBMITS EMERGENCY REPORT ON LIBERIA TO COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
AUGUST 8, 2003 – (UNHCHR) Bertrand Ramcharan, the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, today submitted an emergency report to the Commission on Human Rights on international crimes and other gross violations of human rights committed in Liberia. He called for those responsible, whether from the Government or the rebel sides, to be brought to justice.

CAN WOMEN SOLVE AFRICA'S PROBLEMS?
August 1, 2003 – (BBC Africa Live) With the current events in Liberia, some people have suggested that Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf be made president of the country. After all she has previously run for the post and came second. If this were to happen, she would become the first woman to lead an African country. At the very least it may prevent a power struggle between the two rebel factions in the country.

JULY 2003

UN AGENCIES DEPLORE ABUSE OF CHILDREN, WOMEN IN LIBERIA
July 28, 2003 – (African Church Information Service) Against a backdrop of shelling, gunfire and looting in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, two of the world's top child protection monitors have expressed deep concern over the safety of women and children.

MSF REPORT CHRONICLES STORIES OF LIBERIANS CAUGHT IN ONGOING VIOLENT CONFLICT
July 23, 2003 – (MSF) Arbitrary violence, rape and displacement have become commonplace for them. Now the recent fighting has worsened their situation," said an MSF spokeperson…In a 28-page report entitled "Liberian Stories" released by MSF today, displaced Liberians give their accounts of the arbitrary violence, looting, rape, forced recruitment, family separation and general chaos that have been part of their daily life during more than a decade of war. For a Summary of the report, click here. For the full report, click here.

UN OFFICIALS CALL FOR PROTECTION OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AMID CHAOS IN LIBERIA
July 22, 2003 – (UN News) With the United Nations reporting a "horrific" situation in Liberia, where the death toll is rising and thousands of terrified people have been driven into the streets of the war-torn capital, two of the world body's top child protection monitors have voiced their deep concern for the well-being of women and children amid the chaos.

IN THE MUD, LIBERIA'S GENTLEST REBELS PRAY FOR PEACE
July 1, 2003 – (NYT) In a part of the world where one quickly becomes inured to the sight of scrawny, red-eyed, gun-toting teenage boys, there was an astonishing sight today along this capital's main road.


MARCH - JUNE 2003

AMERICA MUST INTERVENE DIRECTLY, WOMEN URGE
June 18, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) At about 9:58 yesterday morning, more than 100 aggrieved women, wailing with bare feet, marched to the United States Embassy calling for an immediate and direct intervention of the United States Government in the Liberian crises.

CHILD SOLDIERS ARE BACK ON THE FRONTLINE IN LIBERIA
June 9, 2003 - (IRIN) As Liberian President Charles Taylor fights for his very survival, child soldiers, many of them orphans of the conflict, are back at the forefront of the fighting. Every day they can be seen riding around the streets of the capital Monrovia in pick-up trucks proudly toting their automatic rifles.

ESCALATING CONFLICT IN LIBERIA THREATENS HEALTH OF MILLIONS ACROSS WEST AFRICA, UNFPA WARNS
June 9, 2003 - (UNFPA) As Liberian rebels closed in on Monrovia and refugees began fleeing, a humanitarian strategy meeting convened by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has warned that conflict in the region was worsening an already immense humanitarian crisis, with devastating health consequences for women and girls, in particular. For a related UN Wire story, click here.

AS PEACE TALKS GET UNDERWAY IN AKOSOMBO: WOMEN STAGE ANOTHER ROUND OF DEMONSTRATION
June 2, 2003 – (AllaboutLiberia) As delegates of the Liberian government and rebel factions gather in the West African State of Ghana to discuss the future of Liberia, hundreds of women have staged another anti-war demonstration in the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

WOMEN WANT IMMEDIATE DEPLOYMENT OF INTERNATIONAL TROOPS
June 2, 2003 - (The NEWS -Monrovia) The Coalition of Women of Political Parties in Liberia has called for the immediately deployment of international stabilization force in the Country.

WOMEN INTENSIFY PEACE PROTESTS
May 29, 2003- (The NEWS -Monrovia) Liberian women continue to show resilience in their protest for peace rather than violence.
In continuation of their drive for peace, the women would lean the Streets of Monrovia beginning from the Airfield near the Fish Market in Sinkor to the main campus of the University of Liberia on Capital Hill.

WOMEN MUST PRAY FOR PEACE
May 28, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) The Reverend Trypetus E. Cooper Padmore, Administrator of the Liberia Chapter of US-based Prayer Vigil has admonished Liberian Christian women to motivate one another in praying for peace in the Country.

WE DON'T WANT REBELS AGAIN - WOMAN CAMPAIGNER
May 22, 2003 – (The NEWS - Monrovia) Liberia Women Initiative (LWI) Secretary General, Etweda Cooper says Liberians don't want any more rebel groups because, "Liberians had enough of these rebels in the early 1990s."

UNICEF CALLS FOR END TO ATROCITIES AGAINST CHILDREN
April 22, 2003 – (IRIN) UNICEF's representative to Liberia, Dr. Cyrille Niameogo, has called for an end to impunity for the perpetrators of war crimes against children saying that this could enhance children's survival in the West African nation.

GOVERNMENT STAYS AWAY FROM PEACE RALLY - AS WOMEN VENT OUT ANGER
April 16, 2003 – (The NEWS- Monrovia) The Government of Liberia last Friday stayed away from a peace rally hosted by the Liberian women under the auspices of the Women In Peace-building Network (WIPNET), causing bewilderment amongst the women on the prospects of peace in Liberia.

WOMEN TO CONVERGE ON THE CAPITOL...IN SEARCH OF PEACE
April 16, 2003 – (The NEWS-Monrovia) Hundreds of women are expected to converge at the Capitol (the seat of the National Legislature) today in search of an end to the Liberian debacle.

HUNDREDS OF WOMEN DEMONSTRATE AGAINST LIBERIA'S WAR
April 15, 2003 – (AP) Hundreds of white-clad women chanted peace slogans Friday, demanding Liberia's government and rebel forces lay down arms and help ease widespread human suffering in the west African nation. For a related IRIN news story, click here. For a related AFP news story, click here.

WOMEN DEMAND END TO HOSTILITIES
April 14, 2003 – (IRIN) About 1,000 Liberian women staged a peaceful assembly before the Monrovia municipal office on Friday to demand an immediate halt to hostilities between the Liberian government and rebels.

REFUGEE WOMEN EMBRACE SELF-HELP ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
March 12, 2003 - (UNHCR) Kountaya camp exploded in song and dance last Saturday as Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugee women gathered at the camp in Guinea's Albadaria district to mark International Women's Day, which was observed all over the world on March 8.

WOMEN CALL FOR PEACE IN LIBERIA- THREATEN LEGAL ACTION
March 10, 2003 – (The News-Monrovia) Liberian women have called on the Government and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to cease the hostilities in order for them to have a peace that would enable their children to go to school without any fear or intimidation to prepare themselves for the development of their country.

NEW ACCOUNTS DETAIL ABUSES IN LIBERIA: GOVERNMENT AND REBEL TROOPS BOTH TO BLAME
March 6, 2003 – (HWR) Five nurses held for three months in 2002 by Liberian rebels have provided detailed accounts of their mistreatment, Human Rights Watch said today.For the accounts from victims and witnesses, click here.

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