A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

encourage research on the causes, nature, seriousness and consequences of violence
against women and on the effectiveness of measures implemented to prevent and
redress violence against women; those statistics and findings of the research will be
made public; and
o Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines to assist in the implementation
of the principles set forth in the U.N. Declaration on the Elimination of Violence
Against Women.
Women’s Human Rights: Anti-discrimination Measures
Discrimination against women is pervasive in Liberia. As outlined in article 1 of the Protocol to the
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, discrimination
against women means any distinction, exclusion, or restriction or any differential treatment based on
sex and whose objectives or effects compromise or destroy the recognition, enjoyment, or the exercise
by women, regardless of their marital status, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all spheres
of life. In order to begin to address the problem of discrimination against women in Liberia, the
Government of Liberia should undertake to fully implement the provisions of the Protocol and of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
• In order to comply with article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and the Protocol, the Government of Liberia should:
o Support efforts to include specific language embodying the principle of equality
between men and women in the national constitution;
o Adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where
appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;
o Ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this
obligation;
o Take appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person,
organization, or enterprise; and
o Take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing
laws, regulations, customs, and practices that constitute discrimination against
women.
• The Government of Liberia should “prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices
which negatively affect the human rights of women and which are contrary to recognized
international standards.” 386 The Government of Liberia should take all necessary, appropriate,
and effective measures to eliminate harmful traditional practices, which measures may include
increasing public awareness about the harmful traditional practices, providing assistance
(such as health, legal, judicial, emotional support, and vocational training) to victims of
harmful practices, and protecting women at-risk of harmful practices. 387
• The Government of Liberia should prohibit and take appropriate steps to eliminate the
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