Paynesville — Former Vice President, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, has urged young women and girls to avoid exploiting their bodies to achieve their goals. She emphasized the numerous dangers associated with sexual exploitation, noting that relying on sex to attain one's desires can lead to severe health risks, including diseases that could shorten one's life.
"Sex must not be your driver that will drive you towards your desires. The moment you start to use sex to achieve what you want, you are making a decision to expose yourself to sicknesses and diseases that would cut your life short," said Taylor.
Taylor delivered this message recently during her keynote address at the National Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship Conference (NWLEC-2024) held at the Paynesville Town Hall. The day-long event, supported by UN Women - Liberia, brought together women leaders and entrepreneurs.
In her speech, Taylor acknowledged that sexual exploitation and abuse are often driven by poverty and family pressure. She advised young women to resist these pressures and seek healthy, empowering solutions. "If you are serious and determined to make business, you will not submit to the pressure from poverty to subject yourself to violence," Taylor said, highlighting that many successful women have overcome poverty through determination and entrepreneurship.
Taylor also urged mothers not to pressure their daughters into providing for the family in ways that could lead to exploitation. "When we were growing up, despite all the challenges caused by poverty, our mothers were not asking us to bring home a bag of rice by saying, 'Your friends are doing this for their parents, but you are just in this house doing nothing."' She emphasized that such pressures can drive young women into sexual exploitation and abuse, and encouraged mothers to guide their daughters toward positive and prideful achievements.
Furthermore, Taylor called for women and girls to support one another in overcoming violence and exploitation. "If your friend woman wants to do something positive, you must support her. You must be supportive of a woman to have a seat at the national legislature. It is only when women are in the majority at the legislature that they will make positive laws that will impact and change the conditions of their fellow women."
Madam Maurene D. Cooper, CEO of Women Support Women Africa, also spoke at the event. She highlighted the significance of the conference in addressing violence against women and children in Liberia. The conference aimed to raise awareness about women's leadership, education, entrepreneurship, and violence against women, social justice, and the rule of law. Cooper noted that since its launch, the organization has trained 300 women and young adults in Montserrado and Margibi Counties in various areas, including entrepreneurship and political participation.
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Cooper outlined the conference's objectives, which included accelerating the personal and professional development of women, providing guidance and capacity building, and promoting women's political participation. The goal is to enhance women's knowledge and involvement at the highest decision-making levels, ultimately promoting women's empowerment, education, and political leadership while reducing insecurity through mentorship and empowerment. In conclusion, Cooper emphasized the conference's aim to amplify women's voices and foster leadership to achieve 30% representation of women at the national legislature, promoting gender advocacy, social justice, and ending marginalization against women, including female genital mutilation.
