Africa-Press – Liberia. UN Women Liberia Country Representative Madam Comfort Lamptey wants the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), to consider providing legal literacy for Liberia’s rural women, declaring that justice cannot be truly accessible until every woman understands her basic rights.
Delivering the keynote address at the induction ceremony of AFELL on Friday, May 30, 2025, Madam Lamptey proposed: “It will be important for AFELL to increase your footprint in rural Liberia by incorporating locally based female lawyers in your membership, and in addition you could consider providing legal literacy to uneducated women and girls.”
She framed this as Liberia’s next critical frontier in gender justice, noting that while AFELL has made remarkable progress through courtroom advocacy, millions of women remain legally disempowered. “Your organization has been able to make significant progress to advance the rights of women by providing pro bono legal representation,” she acknowledged while stressing that legal victories mean little if women can’t recognize rights violations in their daily lives.
The UN official particularly praised AFELL’s current effort against Female Genital Mutilation, stating: “I want to commend the work that you are doing now to see Liberia adopt a law to ban the practice of FGM.” However, she cautioned that legislation alone cannot protect women who don’t understand their rights, emphasizing the need for grassroots legal education to complement policy changes.
Madam Lamptey positioned AFELL as Liberia’s vanguard for women’s rights, calling it “one of the credible, reliable, and effective women’s rights organizations in Liberia.” Yet she warned that persistent challenges demand renewed action: “There’s a need for more sustained actions by women advocates, finding your organization [AFELL] for the protection of the rights of women and girls.”
The keynote speaker also urged: “Now is the time to break the entrenched patriarchal norms that continue to serve as barriers to women and girls’ quest for access to justice.” She challenged AFELL members to be uncompromising advocates: “You all have a responsibility to speak out and I mean strongly speak out to send the firm message that women seeking Justice are entitled to a fair representation under the law.”
Madam Lamptey suggested concrete strategies, including deeper collaboration with the Gender Ministry, Office of the War and Economics Crimes Court, and women’s groups like WONGOSOL. She reaffirmed UN Women’s support, stating: “We remain committed and very proud and privileged to have worked closely with AFELL over the years. We highly value this partnership.”
Reflecting on global progress since the Beijing Declaration 30 years prior, Lamptey commended Liberia’s commitment to two priority areas: ending violence against women and investing in young female leaders. “This is important for AFELL as it is central to its works,” she noted, connecting international frameworks to local action.
The call found immediate resonance with newly inducted AFELL President Cllr. Philomena Tugbe Williams, who pledged to make rural legal education a cornerstone of her administration. “We will not relent until every woman and child in Liberia enjoys the full protection of justice,” Williams vowed, announcing plans to expand AFELL’s reach beyond urban centers as they have already started doing.
Cllr. Williams highlighted AFELL’s recent achievement in establishing a Juvenile Court while decrying that “juvenile delinquents are sadly being placed in surrounding jail cells with hardened adult criminals.” She framed this as part of the broader justice gap affecting Liberia’s most vulnerable.
The president of AFELL saved her strongest condemnation for Female Genital Mutilation, declaring: “Cutting and slicing the clitoris of a woman or girl has no meaningful value—it is harmful, unhealthy, and a form of violence.” She positioned its eradication as both a legal and educational challenge requiring community-level engagement.
Expressing gratitude, Cllr. Williams acknowledged AFELL’s key partners, including the Clooney Foundation for Justice, DIGNITY, OHCHR, and UN Women, whose support enabled the organization to assist over 5,000 women and children between 2022 and 2024. She also commended Liberia’s judiciary, particularly Chief Justice Sie-Nyene Yuoh and Associate Justice Jamesetta Wolokollie, for their pivotal role in expediting justice for survivors of gender-based violence.
The newly sworn-in leadership of AFELL includes Cllr. Philomena Tugbe Williams who maintains her role as President, with Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley serving as 1st Vice President and Cllr. Evelyn Lah Gongloe taking office as 2nd Vice President. The executive committee was completed with Cllr. Sundaiway N. Amegashie as Secretary General, Cllr. Isabel B. Diggs as Treasurer, and Cllr. Tonieh Talery Wiles serving as Chaplain.
Established on February 10, 1994, during Liberia’s devastating civil crisis, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has grown into a formidable force for justice and gender equality. Incorporated as a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political organization under Liberian laws, AFELL was born from the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations when the country’s legal system was in disarray.
At its heart, AFELL exists to advocate for the promotion, protection, and advancement of the rights of women, children, and indigent persons across Liberia. The organization fulfills this mission through two primary operational units: its Legal Aid Clinic which provides crucial pro bono legal services, and its dedicated Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) unit that combats the pervasive issue of violence against women and girls.
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