Monrovia, Liberia – The National Elections Commission, UN Women, and Partners have released a report on a survey about violence against women in Liberian elections and politics. The survey is a collaboration between National Elections Commission(NEC-Liberia), UN Women, and UNDP’s Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP).
At a virtual event on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at One UN House in Monrovia, Dr. Theresa de Langis and Ora Barclay shared key findings on Liberian women’s involvement in elections and politics, stressing the need for more participation and better protection.
Concurrently, NEC Oversight Commissioner for Gender Josephine Kou Gaye noted her concern regarding the continued low level of women’s political engagement in Liberia, notwithstanding sustained advocacy and public awareness initiatives.
Meanwhile, Katherine Green, UNDP-LESP Chief Technical Advisor, also pointed out that despite Liberia being a signatory to multiple international agreements on violence against women, it ranks 161st out of 192 countries in guaranteeing women equal representation rights. She cautioned that ongoing violence against women will continue to be a major barrier to their full involvement in elections and politics.
The gathering included close to 50 attendees, mostly women, representing a range of organizations such as NEC’s Gender and Political Affairs units, the Swedish and Irish governments, Liberia’s Women Legislative Caucus, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), LEON, and COPPWIL.
Even though several post-conflict African nations have seen significant progress, Liberia’s parliament continues to have low female representation, and elections remain a major source of stress for women.
While more women are running in each legislative election, the proportion of female representatives has not increased. As of late 2023–2024, women account for roughly 11% of the House of Representatives only 9 out of 73 seats. This figure underscores Liberia’s ongoing gender equity gap and its low global ranking for women’s parliamentary participation.
Reported by: Rancy S. Teewia
