BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – In an effort to strengthen the justice system of Liberia, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia has launched a new legal aid clinic in Grand Bassa.

The project was launched in Buchanan over the weekend with support from UNDP and UNMIL and aims to protect and promote the rights of women, children, and impoverished persons.

“This UNDP/UNMIL project supplies the lifeblood to support our heart,” said Vivian Neal, the president of AFELL. “We, therefore, want to assure you that nothing less than our best efforts will go into this project.”

She encouraged all women and children in Grand Bassa and Montserrado to bring cases of violence and abuse to obtain legal redress under the laws of Liberia.

The AFELL president thanked UNDP and UNMIL for the confidence shown in the group by providing financial and logistical assistance to the legal aid clinic.

Neal said she is optimistic that the results from this one-year project will also motivate UNDP and other donors to provide more financial support in order to extend the project to other parts of Liberia.

Launching the project, former Gender Minister Julia Duncan-Cassell called on AFELL to provide education for women and children on existent laws for the project to be effective.

She said women and children needed to know the details of the Land Rights Act, the Children’s Law, and inheritance, adoption, and marriage laws to guide and protect themselves.

Also speaking at the program was Grand Bassa’s Sen. Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence, who urged AFELL to follow-up on all human rights cases on the dockets of the various courts across the country to ensure that they are fast-tracked.

She also promised to lobby with her colleagues at the National Legislature to pass laws that are in the interest of the Liberian people to enhance AFELL’s work as they advocate for the rights of others.

The launch of the program brought together stakeholders, including the local county government, the women of Grand Bassa from all sectors, the police, local Gender Ministry officials, representatives from the judicial branch of government.

Featured photo by Sampson David