When Radio Kergheamahn reporter Chester Dolo decided to tackle the taboo subject of female genital cutting (FGC) – also known as circumcision or mutilation (FGM) – he became the first reporter at his radio station in northcentral Liberia to talk on-air about FGC. Other reporters warned him against it. He was nervous, and even a bit scared. Most women refused to speak with him. It took courage and determination because this traditional practice is deeply-entrenched in the ‘secret societies’ of this West African country.

Chester Dolo receives first place at jhr’s Liberia Human Rights Reporters Awards

To report on this sensitive and secretive practice, Chester had to grapple with his own beliefs in witchcraft.

Chester describes the challenges in this audio feature:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

For more, read a Q & A by jhr trainer and journalist Bonnie Allen with Chester Dolo.

Q: First, introduce yourself and explain why you decided to do this documentary.

A: I’m Chester Dolo. I’m 22 years of age. I presently work at Radio Kergheamahn. Ganta, Nimba County, Liberia. I work as a journalist and I’m doing a story on FGM. FGM is simply Female Genital Mutilation or circumcision. I decided to do this story because this is one of the traditional practices that is taking place in this part of the country. Liberia has signed an agreement with the international community to ban FGM totally, but yet Liberia has not yet signed that law [nationally] to reenforce [abolishing] the practice.

Q: Why don’t journalists in Liberia report on female genital circumcision?

A: For me, at this age, I feel very scared because this issue of FGM is a very sensitive topic or issue in Liberia. This issue is never spoken about. People say that it is a taboo. People who go through that process, it is an agreement amongst those people, before they could come outside [leave the bush school], an agreement that if they go out, there should be no one to talk about it. And even if you are not part of it, you are not allowed to talk. Sometimes, if you talk about it, we have witnessed so many instances where people who talk about this female genital mutilation, they have been witched.

Q: Witched?

A: Yeah, witched – witchcraft. for example, they use juju as we call it in our setting.

Even presently as I speak, I feel very much threatened, I can say. One of the persons I interviewed, she later phoned me, telling me that I shouldn’t disclose her name because she feels very afraid. So even for me, as I speak, doing a story on this I feel my life is not even secure.

Q: So why take the risk?

A: I care about it because it is one of the violations of rights of women. Some people’s children are taken – from the age 5 and upwards – to be circumcised. I feel it against the rights of the children.

Q: Do you think you are brave for reporting on this story?

A: [laughs] I’m not too brave. Yes. Practically, I’m not too brave. But it would be very much difficult to go in the deep rural areas where these practices are well practiced. If you go in the rural areas to actually interview, it would be difficult. If you are not careful, you will even lose your life. Because the real people who go through this process, the real people who are doing this thing, have lots of demonic attitudes. They have lots of things in their hand [powers], that if you are not careful they will witch you.

Q: Do you actually believe someone could harm you with witchcraft?

A: For our setting, for our African setting, there are so many things that people do. People transform themselves into so many things to hurt other people. So witchcraft as a whole, most people believe it in Liberia, and even myself, I believe it.

Q: What reaction have you received from other journalists, or women?

A: Some are saying you don’t have to talk about this. Some are saying you don’t have to talk about this because it is the tradition of the people. Some are also saying people, the western world, wants to impose, or wants to get rid of the culture of the people in Africa so they are using so many reasons, so many strategies to get the culture of people out. And which they are saying FGM is one of the cultures of the people in Africa. So doing a story on this is is denying people of their culture.

Q: How do you feel about that?

A: For me, my thought is, as a journalist, we are to do, is to report on fact. To report on issues not because it is an African issue or an American issue.

——–

Author: Bonnie Allen
Source: jhr
Original Publication Date: Jan. 22, 2010

In a bid to meet the challenge of rising crime in the city, Lumley Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has called on partners to offer more support.

“We already have many resources such as vehicles and fuel supplied for by Government but we could use additional resources,” says CID Inspector Kamanoh.

He has worked as a police officer in Sierra Leone for 20 years. He sometimes ends up having to pay for food for the detained suspects of crime held in the cell at the division out of his own pocket.

“That is my duty as the officer in charge to do that. I have to make sure I take care of prisoners and that they are in good health,” he says.

Three months ago the UN donated four containers to try to ease the congestion of the division. One is being used as a Support and Operational office, another for Traffic and two for restrooms. The structure of the division is too small to accommodate all the offices they need to run the operations. The land on which the Division lays is large, and could accommodate more structures.

“The Division is too small for the amount of crime we see,” says another Inspector.

In that day alone when SALONE TIMES visits, they have already apprehended three suspects. The only cell the prison has is tiny, not even big enough for prisoners to lie down in. Inspector Kamanoh stresses that the officers in the division always do things according to law.

“In our Division, we respect Human Rights. We don’t arrest indiscriminately,” he says.

He goes on to say that the Division’s main aim is for people in the area to be secure.

“We do this by being proactive. We prevent crimes from happening. We also work with Military officers and police patrol the beach at all hours of the night,” he says.

Lumley Police Officers also face many threats from accused criminals.

“We are the public enemy,” says Inspector Kamanoh.

On the day that SALONE TIMES visits, the Inspector has already received one death threat from a suspect they had apprehended that was released by the court.

He would like to see the courts support the officers more in bringing criminals to justice.

“Sometimes we arrest suspects, they are released by the courts and then we become targets,” he says.

——–
Author: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Photography: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Source: jhr
Original Publication Date: Dec. 4, 2009

The prolonged civil war in Liberia over the years has disrupted the process for a generation of youth, and caused a low net enrollment of students in Liberian school.

Since the launch of UNICEF, back to school programs some years back and the pronouncement of free and compulsory education by the UP government, there has been some level of improvement in the enrollment process.

The MDGs report 2008 has enshrined that the gross enrolment of primary education stands at 86.3 % for the year 2007 which is much encouraging as compare to 200 to 2002 school year raging to 56.2%. Nevertheless, the report also indicates that there has been considerable improvement in the enrolment process since the launch of free and compulsory education.

The free and compulsory education however has its own side effect which needs to be concentrated upon by the government: too many children in the classrooms. The over-crowdedness of public schools and even the University of Liberia  are all drowning in the sea of denseness.

“The over-crowdedness of public schools is an age-old phenomena and the inheritance of the Madame Sirleaf’s Government,” Mr. Abraham Nyounway, Secretary General of the Teachers’ Association of Monrovia consolidated School System and registrar of Newport Jr. High School revealed.

Despite the compactness of schools, many students are seen every day roaming the streets selling for their parents as bread winners, while some said that they are selling to complete the payment of their school fees before returning to school.

However, Mr. Nyounway blamed the denseness on the unavailability of structures to contain the number of students.

To date, students opting to attend private schools can be turned down by many public schools due to space problem. This causes some parents to have to choose to send their kids to private school – which is too exorbitant – or leave them alone without school. This is also contributing to the roaming of school aged children on the streets.

Some years ago, some 64 countries converged to Dakar, Senegal in an effort to improve learning standards in their respective countries. At the conference, a specific target was reached in a consensus that each country’s representative should encourage a free and compulsory education back home; that by 2015 every citizen in that country must at least complete primary school. This same target has been set by the MDG 2008 report, “ensuring that by 2015 children everywhere boys and girls alike, will be able  to  complete a full course of primary education.”

Even so, the 2008 MDGs report indicates that Liberia is far from achieving the goal of providing the level of school enrolment agreed on: this is not an encouraging sign. According to the report the level of enrolment to meet the target is actually deteriorating. “Based on current trends, the net primary enrolment ratio will be approximately 40% by 2015. Hence, it is likely that Liberia will achieve the MDGs of 100% net primary enrolment by 2015. Similarly, while the gross enrolment rate is impressive, it must be placed in the proper context,”  MDG’s report states.

The realities of these statistics are being felt by the people of Liberia.

“I hardly find food for my children to eat; sending them to school is a problem. I can’t even get money to give them for recess so it is better for them to be with me and help me sell to met our daily supply of food,” Rebecca Garley, Chicken Soup Factory.

Many parents and teachers agreed that school feeding would be necessary to encourage some poor parents to enroll their kids to school where they will not bother them enough for breakfast.

The executive Director of LETCOM, an educational advocacy organization that was organized following the end of the Dakar conference to make education a priority or a human right issue said the monitoring, evaluation and compulsory aspect of educational performance to promote and sustain the quality of educational system is very poor.

Photography by Myles Estey.

With a little less than two years before the conduct of a general and presidential election, voters have begun boycotting the polls – a situation that sends out wide signals and has sparked debates in all sectors of society.

Why is it so, what were the expectation of the voters? Have they lost confidence in their leaders due to apathy? These are some of the questions posed to voters at several polling places around the city on Election Day.

Empty polling station

At the Joseph B. Tate Jr. Memorial Institute in Congo Town, polling started on time but the first voter did not cast their ballot until thirty minutes later. The center was very quiet and there were little sign of voters.

Similar situations were observed at the Seventh Day Adventist High School at the ELWA Junction and the Paynesville Community Jr. High School in Paynesville Joebar Community, up to the Paynesville Central Academy High School along the Somalia Drive.

Even though a holiday was pronounced by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to afford eligible voters to exercise their franchise, many did not turn out to vote.  People were instead seen at entertainment centers and others market places around the city, while many were busy at vaccination centers to be immunized against the Yellow Fever disease.

Yellow Fever vaccinations

At the Paynesville City Hall, which played host to seven polling centers, many were seen queuing-up for the Vaccine, leaving the voting precinct absolutely empty. Satta Siafa, is one of those administering the vaccine. “The Vaccination process is very fast. Many people are polling in to be vaccinated, as you can see, the queue is very long and we are expected to serve up to five hundred person just today.”

Beatrice Cooper, a health worker who seems very hard working, said she is doing everything possible to reduce the long queue of people who have turn out for the vaccine. “I don’t want to talk, as you can see, the people are very plenty and I am working to reduce the load on me. They are really turning out for the vaccine. I don’t know if they are doing the same at the voting centers, but I am hopeful that I will serve up to 450 persons before the day ends.”

Some of those at Vaccination centers around the city expressed more interest for the vaccine, and said they ‘care about their health and not politics.’ “The Politicians have failed us, why should we vote someone who has no interest in the country?,” asked Justine Doe, a resident of Barnesville Estate.

At the E. Jonathan Goodrich High School in Barnesville Estate and other voting centers covered, polling staff and election observers expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the election, describing it as peaceful. However, many expressed frustration over the low turnout.

Political analysts believed the inability of those elected to political office’s failure to deliver on the promises made to voters contributed to the poor turnout, while other believed the lack of sensitization led to the poor turnout.

What ever the case may be, election is a constitutional right of every citizen of the nation, and it is also the responsibilities of those elected to public offices, to work in the best interest of their electorates.  With this poor turnout, many are of the belief that the 2011 general and presidential election will turn a new page in Liberia, a nation coming out of 14 years of civil conflict.

For now, the National Election Commission (NEC) has received   praises from many sectors of the country including political leaders, voters, as well as civil society grouping for the successful conduct of the By-Election Run-off on November 24, 2009.

The NEC, which was criticized in the first round by-election, realized it mistakes, and put its house in order. A few weeks before the election, the NEC conducted civic and voter’s education trainings, coupled with a rehearsal workshop for polling staff.

These efforts will surely need to be accelerated to ensure a robust turnout for the 2011 elections.

Photography by Myles Estey.

A resident of the St Paul Bridge community, Anthony, says the use of dynamite as a way of fishing is unsafe.

A fisherman himself, Anthony explained that dynamite pollutes the water and weakens the fish, making them unsafe for human consumption.

He admitted the use of the banned explosives by some fishermen in the St Paul Bridge, Jamaica Road, Popo Beach, and West Point areas. The dynamite, he explained, is brought into the country from Sierra Leone and Guinea – and costs less than buying nets.

Speaking to this situation, two elderly ladies who also live in the area confirmed the use of the explosives by fishermen in the St Paul River. Although it is not a common occurrence right now, they were quick to point out that it is done regularly during the dry season.

The acting Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Jerome Nyekan, says it is illegal to use dynamite as a means of catching fish.

The EPA boss said those in the habit of throwing poisonous substances into rivers and harming marine creatures should stop the bad practice. If caught, he explained, violators will pay a fine of up to 50 thousand US dollars, and spend as many as 25 years in jail.

He said the EPA, over the years, has trained 28 customs officers nation-wide to enable them to combat the illegal entry of dynamite and other substances into the country.

The EPA is also planning a nation-wide awareness jamboree during the dry season, to explain the dangers of dynamite and other substances unfriendly to the environment.

Photo credit: http://naghinuktok.blog.friendster.com/files/dynamited-fish1.jpg

Drug abuse in Sierra Leone is robbing children of their right to a childhood and adults of their right to live a productive life. Starting with the National Drugs Enforcement Act 2008, the government of Sierra Leone not only recognised this issue but is now trying their best to sensitise the public on the adverse effects of drug abuse.

This situation is currently a major hindrance to the development of youth as they are the most vulnerable to drugs and the highest affected group. Jonathan Spencer, director of the Just Say No To Drugs campaign says there are no statistics on drug abuse available in the country but assures that the numbers are sure to be quite alarming

The causes of drug abuse are many. One is the lack of employment. Some also take drugs to ease their mind and kill out the worries. Others feel neglected by family and decide to belong to the ghetto. Some take drugs because of the experience and some girls also follow their loved one. Cultism is another major cause of drugs and they take it on oath.

According to Mr Kandeh Bangura, director of National Drugs Enforcement Agency government is involving all members of society in the fight against drugs by expanding its activities to all provinces instead of just Freetown. The involvement of religious leaders and village elders into this fight is also one measure to sensitise the public. Some civil society organisations like the NDEA have embarked on a massive awareness and sensitisation campaign to help in their fights and also formed a football team called Anti Drugs Striker.

Drug Abuse poses a security threat in society as there is increase in corruption and violence including prostitution and gangs. It also makes way for low output in adults as they are not able to work because of sleep and drowsiness. Drug abuses also make youth more ineffective and talk unnecessarily. It can also cause impotency in men and miscarriage or still birth among pregnant women. Changes in behaviour and physical appearance are also effects of drug abuse. Forced drug abuse was also used to encourage children to fight in the civil war.

Since the landing of a plane full of cocaine in 2008 the government has decided to strengthen its laws on drug abuse and trafficking. But according to Pastor Gobeh, head counselor at the City of Rest Church, “it is not what is on paper but how we implement them.”

High penalty on drug abuse and drug peddlers should be enforced. The rehabilitation of addicts is critical. Sensitisation and preventive education and awareness-raising campaigns are already underway.

Along with this, the criminal justice system also needs to be revisited so that youths are sent to rehabilitation centres instead of prison. The government should also provide adequate counseling services. The hurdles to cross are many, but awareness is the first step.

For more information contact the Drug Awareness Campaign on 076 630 539

The Executive of Mano River Union for Peace Network (MARWOPNET) in corroboration with West African Network for Peace on Wednesday July 1^st 2009, held consultation with Parliamentarians in Committee Room number one.

The aim of the consultation was to share information and advocate for the implementation of United Nations Security for Conflict Resolution 1325 which was adopted by the United Nations in 2000 but has not been incorporated into the laws of this country. The resolution gives equal opportunity rights to women, condemns violence against women and children and encourages economic empowerment.

Former lecturer and executive member of MARWOPNET, Dr Nana Pratt briefed women about the role of women in conflict resolution, noting that women can play a vital role in the prevention, protection and as well participate meaningfully in conflict resolution. She said women should be given more responsibilities in their respective communities to make their own input, for development in these areas. Dr Pratt went further to state that the issue of women and children has been treated with levity. She used the opportunity to appeal to MPs to speedily ratify UN resolution 1325. “To this we need your support to ratify this resolution,” Dr Pratt urged. Consultations have been held in the provinces on this issue, where according to her, people who attended the occasion made meaningful contributions.

United Nations representative Eunice Njovana reminded parliamentarians about the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action where human rights for women were discussed. She also mentioned the outcome document of the 23^rd special session of the United Nations General Assembly entitled ‘Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21^st Century’. “Economic empowerment will put women on the vantage in their respective communities,” she said.

Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and Gender Affairs, Musu Kamdeh added that women undergo lot of violence in society. Other MPs also recognised the merits of Resolution 1325 and vowed to lobby their colleagues to pass it into law when it came up. She appealed for the security of girls, children and women. Ms Njovana supported this with her own statement, “girls take the lead in the security of the home; MPs should take the lead in the security of children, girls and women.”

Despite the fact that Sierra Leone has signed the UN Citizen Charter on Consumer Protection, the rate of expired foods and products in the domestic market has been on the increase.

At the moment, the markets are flooded with products like Arrow Paste which expired in 2006, Glucose biscuits expired in May 2009 and Tiger Finger Batteries expired in May 2004 And these are only a few of many.

These products enter the country through border towns and by sea from Europe. In Sierra Leone it is the Standards Bureau that is responsible for checking the quality of these goods. Head of Standardization at the Sierra Leone Standard Bureau, Mr Amadu Bah stated that “even though routine checking is done, business people use local harbours to bring some of these goods into the country especially at night, using deceptive methods to bypass government officials like the National Revenue Authority, Standard Bureau and other partner agencies.”

He noted that when products arrive into the country there should be six months left for them to expire and this check is carried out at the Queen Elizabeth II quay. “If any of these imported products are found to be expired then the vessel is sent back or the product is dumped.” For instance, a rice vessel and also poultry that recently returned to where they came from. “At times when we are trying to dump certain groups create objections in protest of the goods not to be dumped in order to retrieve it for consumption,” Mr Bah added.

However, many of these products remain in the stores for months often because they are too expensive like tinned powdered milk, sardines and alcohol. And when they near expiry they are sold at attractive prices to street vendors who in turn sell it cheap to the consumer.

Consuming expired products can lead to sicknesses like skin rashes, diarrhea and frequent headaches. One consumer Aminata Dumbuya at Sackville Street expressed concern about expired products but stated that “due to poverty in this country consumer don’t want to know whether a product has expired or not, because of low price together can purchase it and consume.”

The lack of a Consumer Protection Act is a serious concern in this regard. According to Mr Abu Bakarr Kabbah, president of the Consumer Protection Council, “there is a proposed draft bill that will be forwarded to parliament in a couple of weeks through the ministries of Trade and Presidential Affairs. Another problem is the lack of consumer education to tell people that cheaper products are not better.

Mabinty Kamara, a vendor at Sani Abacha Street noted that some consumers are highly aware of such expired products but still purchase it. “If the bill becomes law then stores will be forced to discard their goods to us much earlier and we will be happy to sell products that are safe and not expired,” she says.

In late spring Liberian journalist Charles Yates got a tip that that runoff from a rubber plantation was creating severe toxic pollution in North East Liberia. As a result of the training he received from jhr (Journalists for Human Rights) he realized that many people’s rights were being violated, particularly their right to a clean and healthy environment, and that a story might be able to apply pressure on the right authorities.

While researching his story Charles discovered that pollution from the Firestone Rubber Plantation had caused outbreaks of skin disease, had polluted drinking water, had made fish unsafe for consumption and that there were at least two reports of death directly linked to the pollution.

Yates had his story published in The Inquirer, one of Liberia’s primary newspapers. Soon after, Radio UNMIL, the United Nations Monrovia based radio station, picked up and broadcasted the story. The story then reached Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who consequently ordered audits to be conducted throughout the plantation.

Read the full original article below.

Firestone Pollutes Six Villages In Margibi District

EPA Tights Lipped On The Issue While Advocacy Group Warns of Danger

Water severely polutted from a rubber plantation in North East Liberia.

Six villages within district # 3 in lower Margibi County are experiencing severe toxic pollution as the result of wastes flowing from the Firestone Liberia plantation. They have lost their rights to a clean and healthy environment, and describe the great health hazard this has brought to their community.

The villages are now experiencing an outbreak of skin diseases, polluted drinking water and a lack of fish safe for human consumption. One baby was recently born with a missing arm, and there are at least two reports of death directly linked to the pollution. The affected areas are not in the range of Firestone Concession Agreement area, the village elders disclosed, but instead just downstream.

One town directly hit by this unfriendly environmental practice is the Kparyah Town. It sits just downstream from the source of the pollution – several cracks in a large pipe belonging to Firestone. The pipe pours constantly into a marsh that is now black from the pollution. A smell rising off the wetland makes it barely possible to stand in the terrain for five minutes.

Wilfred B. David, head elder of Kparyah Town explained they do not eat any fish from the creek anymore and their crops also do not grow anymore because of the hazardous pollution leeching from Firestone. Villagers discovered and reported the pollution in 2002. Since then nothing had been done to correct the problem by government or Firestone.

“We have informed our county authorities about the situation and some of them have also come on the scene and have experienced this pollution for themselves but they have not taken any steps against the Management of Firestone,” David lamented. Other villagers alleged that the wastes that are being dumped in the creek are taken from septic tanks, the factory as well as somehuman, and hospital wastes.

The villagers further disclosed that as the result of the constant toxic pollution into the creek fishes and marines are dying on a daily basis and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia is not doing anything to prevent the situation.

Villagers also described Firestone management regularly showing up to mock them by asking – with chide laughs – if the village has any fish for sale, before driving off. This has incensed residents.

Local youths have threatened to stage a demonstration if the government of Liberia does not take quick measures to curtail the ongoing situation. Youth leader, Sam S. Gaye promised that his youth group will set up road blocks and the protest will be violent if nothing is done to arrest the looming environmental crisis. “We can not continue to live in this kind of atmosphere anymore. Our children are dying and our food production is reducing greatly,” he stated.

Public Relations officer of Firestone Liberia , Mr. Rufus Karmoh, refused to comment on the related issue besides presenting a statement on Firestone Liberia’s Environmental Practices. In the statement, Firestone Liberia did not specifically reference the pollution allegation, but boasted that the company is practicing sound environmental stewardship that is positively impacting the lives of Liberians.

The statement explains that Firestone Liberia continuously communicates with its neighbors and with those in surrounding communities. “By gathering information and constantly reviewing its operations, the company is able to identify any environmental issues and address them in timely manner,” the release stated.

The release added that the company recently constructed a new state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar water treatment facility that processes water from its factory through equalization and clarification tanks and into its constructed wetlands on the company’s property for natural, biological treatment. On site investigations could not establish where this ’state-of-the-art’ facility was, or how it applies to the pollution affecting Kparyah Town .

Other than acknowledging that receipt of information the pollution issue, EPA head Jerome Nyakan refused to comment on the matter but promised to respond to the issue in later date.

A different source at the EPA explained that the EPA received information on the issue as early as 2008, and dispatched a team of investigators on the scene. The source, who wished to remain unnamed due to restrictions in speaking to the press, said the investigators discovered that indeed the pollution was taking place and recommendation was made to the Firestone management. The source did not state what actually came out of said recommendation.

Liberia Environmental Watch’s Director, Morris T. Koffa has warned that if the government of Liberia does nothing to hold Firestone to the book, future consequences will be great and to the detriment of Liberians.

The environmental advocacy group boss, who is based in the United States of America, said that information emanating from Firestone must claim the attention of the national government and the lawmakers. Mr. Koffa said these wastes from the factory contain hazardous chemicals that can cause long time effect on the lives of the victims and the surrounding environment on which they depend.

He used the occasion to call on the Liberia Environmental Lawyers Association to join the victims in the fight to address the issue. Mr. Koffa said it is true that the victims are financially incapacitated to drag the Management of Firestone to court but with the help and support of the environmental lawyers their dream can come to reality. “This is a serious concern and the EPA must get involved,” Mr. Koffa angrily told this paper from his US-based residence via mobile phone.

The environmental expert warned that if the government of Liberia does not rush in to rescue its citizens from the degradation of the environment they depend on for a safe and healthy environment, the future consequences will be severe and the government will be held responsible for the damage.

What is happening to the principle of the rule of law?

Could it be said to be losing its core principles?

Many pundits have argued that instant killing of suspected criminals is a gross abuse of fundamental human rights.

Click here to listen.