By: Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia—Sister 4 Sister, an international nongovernmental organization, has launched the Safer Now Every Woman Treaty, a global initiative that seeks to make it mandatory for governments to act against all forms of violence.
At the official launch of the treaty at midday Wednesday, February 1, 2023, Sister 4 Sister International Executive Director Ms. Janice Smallwood Malekebu said. However, there are regional treaties to protect women from violence and international law against discrimination against women, but there is no specific, overarching framework to protect women and girls from violence worldwide.
Ms. Smallwood, while giving an overview of the treaty, noted that the Every Woman Treaty is urging the UN and nations to adopt a global treaty to fill this legal gap and begin to systematically address this growing crisis.
She added that New Global Treaty is Essential to Address Rising Incidents of Violence Against Women in LIBERIA and Worldwide war, with women and girls as the primary targets of widespread rape, sexual
Slavery, forced marriage, and torture
The Executive Director of Sister 4 Sister International further alluded to the fact that the need for the Every Woman Treaty is cardinal, as it would make state obligations clear, specific, and legally binding, and provide adequate attention to the problem’s scope and complexity.
According to the report, Ms. Smallwood attributed the various causes of the rising violence, to conflict, climate change, cyber-violence, and the lockdowns associated with COVID-19.
She said the New Global Treaty is Essential to Address Rising Incidents of Violence against Women in LIBERIA and Worldwide war, with women and girls as the primary targets of widespread rape, sexual
Slavery, forced marriage, and torture
The treaty is currently in progress in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, and Sierra Leone, which have formed a state-led group to advance the treaty among UN Member States.
However, Ms. Janice Smallwood Malekebu said the treaty will not automatically end violence but will help get closer to the global goal of ending violence.
As the launch of the treaty entertained the participation of heads and members of different NGOs, they skeptically recommended the need for Sisters 4 Sisters International and their partners to conduct more stakeholder meetings with the government and traditional leaders in order to explain the aim of the treaty.
They stressed the need for the INGO to integrate local groups in the process to ensure that education about the treaty is spread across the country.
The participants further pointed out the importance of conducting more training among women and girls to explain the issues the treaty seeks to address.
Additionally, they asked that the international body provide technical support to women in politics because they believe that with a good number of women participating in the legislature, they will ensure that more laws are made in the interest of women and girls.
