A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, that women
subjected to violence and, where appropriate, their children have specialized
assistance, such as rehabilitation, assistance in child care and maintenance, treatment,
counseling, and health and social services facilities and programs, as well as support
structures, and should take all other appropriate measures to promote their safety
and physical and psychological rehabilitation;
o Include in government budgets adequate resources for activities related to the
elimination of violence against women;
o Take measures to ensure that law enforcement officers and public officials responsible
for implementing policies to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women
receive training to sensitize them to the needs of women;
o Adopt all appropriate measures, especially in the field of education, to modify the
social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women and to eliminate prejudices,
customary practices, and all other practices based on the idea of the inferiority or
superiority of either of the sexes and on stereotyped roles for men and women;
o Promote research, collect data, and compile statistics, especially concerning domestic
violence, relating to the prevalence of different forms of violence against women and
Beijing Platform for Action: Twelve Areas of Concern
The Beijing Platform for Action reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are an “inalienable, integral
and indivisible part of universal human rights.” 384 The Platform for Action calls upon governments to take
action in 12 areas of concern. The Advocates recommends that when designing national policies and
programs to address women’s human rights the Government of Liberia take into account these critical
issues:
- The persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women
- Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to education and training
- Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services
- Violence against women
- The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign
occupation
- Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and in access to
resources
- Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels
- Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women
- Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women
- Stereotyping of women and inequality in women’s access to and participation in all communication
systems, especially in the media
- Gender inequalities in the management of natural resources and in the safeguarding of the
environment
- Persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child. 385
471
Chapter Fourteen