Liberian female lawyers have promised to intensify advocacy for gender equality and children’s rights here.
By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, Liberia; June 4, 2025 – The re-elected President of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), Cllr. Philomena Tugbe Williams has pledged to intensify the organization’s advocacy for gender equality and children’s rights, while honoring the legacy of past leaders who shaped the Association’s impactful work.
AFELL swore in its partly re-elected leadership during a colorful ceremony held at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
“AFELL will raise its advocacy and legal representation on the welfare and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. Through our advocacy and the assistance of our partners, the Juvenile Court was established in Monsterrado County.
Though a significant achievement, juvenile delinquents are sadly being placed in surrounding jail cells with hardened adult criminals and complain of horrible detention conditions,” she said.
Cllr. Williams reaffirmed AFELL’s commitment to its five-year strategic plan, promising aggressive action to eradicate gender-based violence, advance women’s equitable participation, and uphold the rule of law.
“We will not relent until every woman and child in Liberia enjoys the full protection of justice,” she vowed.
Despite progress, gender disparities persist: Liberia ranks 42nd out of 146 countries on the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) with a score of 0.754, reflecting a slight decline from previous years.
Williams condemned rampant sexual and gender-based violence, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which she called a violent practice unjustified by tradition.
“Cutting and slicing the clitoris of a woman or girl has no meaningful value—it is harmful, unhealthy, and a form of violence,” she asserted. She revealed AFELL’s plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Gender and the Women’s Legislative Caucus to push for an FGM ban without exemptions.
On children’s rights
She decried widespread neglect and abuse, noting that schools, churches, and homes that are supposedly safe havens have become sites of trauma for many minors.
She pledged that AFELL will expand civic education on the 2011 Children’s Law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while pressuring the Justice Ministry to prosecute child abusers.
She acknowledged the establishment of Montserrado County’s Juvenile Court as a milestone, but criticized ongoing detention of minors alongside adults in squalid conditions.
She demanded rehabilitation-focused facilities aligned with international standards, stressing that young offenders need support, not punishment.
Emphasizing the rule of law
Williams warned against politicizing legal disputes, stating, “Whether you are the President of Liberia or the President of AFELL, the law binds us all.”
She praised the Supreme Court’s three female justices and urged President Boakai to appoint another woman upon Chief Justice Yuoh’s retirement, declaring, “What a man can do, a woman can do better,” to a thunderous applause.
Williams thanked AFELL’s partners, including the Clooney Foundation for Justice, DIGNITY, OHCHR, and UN Women—for enabling the organization to assist over 5,000 women and children (2022–2024).
She also commended Chief Justice Yuoh and Associate Justice Wolokollie for expediting justice in gender-based violence cases, particularly in Persistent-Non-Support trials.
A moment of silence honored the late Cllr. Zeor Bernard, AFELL’s former president, whose fearless advocacy extended from remote Gbapolu to courtrooms securing justice for marginalized women and children.
At the induction, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh urged AFELL members to renew their commitment to defending women and children’s rights. “There’s much to do. Let us join and continue to be more active in this organization.
We have so much to give,” Yuoh said. UN Women-Liberia’s Comfort Lamptey urged AFELL to expand legal literacy programs for rural women, stating, “Justice cannot be truly accessible until every woman understands her basic rights.” She proposed recruiting rural-based female lawyers to bridge the gap.
The newly sworn-in team includes re-elected President Cllr. Philomena Tugbe Williams, 1st Vice President Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, and 2nd Vice President Cllr. Evelyn Lah Gongloe, alongside Secretary General Cllr. Sundaiway Amegashie, Treasurer Cllr. Isabel Diggs, and Chaplain Cllr. Tonieh Wiles.
Their election followed AFELL’s April 25, 2025, convention at the Temple of Justice, where Williams and Kelley secured their second terms after first winning office in December 2021.
The event also honored trailblazing jurists, including Chief Justice Yuoh and Associate Justices Wolokollie and Clinton Johnson, with lifetime achievement awards.
Founded on February 10, 1994, during Liberia’s civil war, AFELL has evolved into a powerhouse for justice, offering pro bono legal aid and championing reforms for women, children, and indigent persons. Editing by Jonathan Browne
