Staff MattersCapacity Building ..... Pg. 3

AdviceBack Injuries ............. Pg. 10

After HoursFun Run .......................... Pg. 9Inside This Issue

TodayNovember 2009 Volume 6, Issue 6

UNMIL

has often stressed the need to end unacceptable conduct. Theevent was time to reinforce the call. She urged men to stop jokesand stereotypes which encourage violence against women, and toinstead have good thoughts which stop SGBV. At last year’sevent, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said men whohurt women need to be exposed and announced that convictedrapists will be made to pick up garbage and clean Monrovia’sstreets.

Carole Doucet, the United Nations Mission in Liberia(UNMIL) Gender Advisor, says in support of the 16 Days ofActivism campaign, UNMIL organized a series of eventsthroughout the country including the pinning of white ribbon onUNMIL staff at all its work sites. In Monrovia, Deputy UNEnvoy Soumarè encouraged staff to support the campaign as hepinned the white ribbon together with senior female personnel.On UNMIL Radio, discussion programmes were held in whichpanelists from various organizations highlighted their efforts infighting the crime. Some activists argued that economic depend-ence of women on men encourages the abuse of women. Thedocumentary, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”, which is a grippingaccount of a group of courageous women who demanded peacefor Liberia, was also screened.

Since its inception in 2003, UNMIL has been working withLiberia’s Ministry of Gender and Development, UN agencies andother partners to address the SGBV menace. UNMIL supportstraining and develops sensitization materials and training manu-

Men Join Women in “16 Days”

By Sulaiman Momodu

On 25 November, male personnel of the UnitedNations in Liberia joined hundreds of peoplefrom all walks of life to march along the mainstreets of the Liberian capital, Monrovia, as thisyear’s “16 Days of Activism Against Gender

Violence” got underway under the national theme: “Men asAgent of Change in Ending Violence Against Women”.

The UN Deputy Special Representative for Recovery andGovernance, Moustapha Soumarè, and Country Director of theUnited Nations Development Programme Dominic Sam wereamong marchers clad in T-shirts with the inscription: “Men –Ending Violence Against Women”. The marchers had bannersand posters such as “Stop beating your wife. A woman is yourpartner, not your slave”; and, “There is no excuse for violence”.Flyers, posters and wristbands with messages for men to stopviolence against women were freely distributed.

During Liberia’s civil war, Sexual and Gender-basedViolence (SGBV) was rampant. But six years after the restora-tion of peace, incidents of SGBV continue to plague the post-warnation.

At the launch of the 16 Days of Activism, various speakers ata packed Monrovia City Hall called on men to change their atti-tudes towards women and respect and support them. DeputySpecial Representative for Rule of Law Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu

Contd....... Page 12

The Chief ofAdministrativeServices (CAS),

Stephani Scheer, has leftUNMIL. She arrived in

the Mission in August2005 as CAS and left in

early November. Scheer, whowas also the chairperson of the

the efforts by UNMIL to empower the Liberian population totake ownership of the country’s development through self-improvement.

Special Representative Ellen Margrethe Løj has expressedgratitude to the Government of The Netherlands for saving theMission thousands of dollars through an operation by that coun-try’s navy. Read more about it. As usual, peacekeepers’ assis-tance to the local population beyond their call of duty contin-ues.

And as we come to the end of another exciting year that wit-nessed continuing peace in Liberia, we must cherish our workwhile applauding the determination of Liberians to strengthenpeace and security in the country. I wish all our contributorsand readers happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous,peaceful New Year. See you in 2010.

Mathew Elavanalthoduka

The United NationsMission in Liberianjoined the Liberiangovernment and organ-izations around the

world to mark this year’s interna-tional campaign, “16 Days ofActivism against Gender Violence”,which assumes critical importancein Liberia with the country record-ing unacceptable levels of genderviolence. Our cover story throwslight on the spirited campaign.

The Integrated Mission TrainingCentre (IMTC) continues to offer training in various areas forUNMIL personnel, especially the national staff. Recently, anumber of national staff graduated after pursuing courses at theStella Maris Polytechnic. We cover the event, which epitomizes

2 - UNMIL Today - November 2009

From the Editor

Stephani Scheer

Liberian UNV Laid to Rest

Obitu

ary

Yah-Lydia Wonyene,a Liberian UnitedNations Volunteer,

who died in the attack on theBakhtar guest house inKabul in October, was laidto rest on 21 November nearher home in Monrovia. Atthe time of her death,Wonyene was serving as anElectoral Outreach andTraining Coordinator andhad been in Afghanistan for

just over a year.The Chief of Special Operations at UNV headquarters in

Bonn, Kevin Gilroy, represented Executive Coordinator FlaviaPansieri at the funeral.

Gilroy said the deceased helped to put Liberia back on itsfeet, first helping the UN Mission in Liberia and the NationalElections Commission, and then with the EU mission in Liberia

and the National Legislature of Liberia. "It was this experienceof election support that took Lydia to Timor-Leste and SierraLeone, and eventually to Afghanistan... Her passing is a tragicloss, and we express our deepest remorse." He then read fromthe book of condolences prepared by the UNV StaffAssociation, including the poem 'Do Not Stand at My Graveand Weep' by Mary Elizabeth Frye. On behalf of UNV, Gilroylaid a wreath and presented the condolence book to Lydia's eld-est son, Alvin.

A group of UNV volunteers and UN staff from Nigeria,Liberia and Sierra Leone attended the funeral. Many of themhad served with Lydia in Afghanistan, including some who hadbeen in the guesthouse during the attack on 28 October whichkilled five UN personnel and three Afghan guards.

Also present at the ceremony were the UNDP CountryDirector, Dominic Sam, and the Director of Administration ofthe United Nations Mission in Liberia, Stephen Liebermann.The UN provided a military escort, military band, transport, andsecurity for all the events.

UNMIL Welfare and Recreation Committee (UWRC), is head-ing to the United Nation’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) as Chief of Mission Support.

Welfare Coordinator Lourdes Rhodas, who worked with theCAS for more than four years, describes her as “an extraordi-nary person”. She says working with Scheer was very reward-ing. “Every day was a learning experience with something newand challenging. Without her guidance, Welfare would not havehad the same impact on this Mission.”

Departure

By Margaret Odoch-Jato & Sulaiman Momodu

Smiles and a spirit of camaraderie filled the room on 6October as 42 UNMIL personnel assembled at GreenBuilding in Monrovia ready to receive their certificates

after the successful com-pletion of a course inConflict Management.

The Chief of Staff ofUNMIL military, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, whowas class leader duringthe training, was one ofthe proud recipients.Although he had donethe course many times,Brig.-Gen. Boroh said heparticipated in theIntegrated MissionTraining Centre (IMTC)organized course “toshow support and soli-darity” to his staff whowere taking the course,

as well as to motivate them. Some graduates said they now have skills to settle disputes

amicably, prevent it from becoming a serious conflict orimprove relations in general. Administrative Assistant SafiatuSandra Kamara describes the IMTC Training Programme as

one of the greatest opportunities pro-vided by the mission and urges otherstaff to take advantage of it. “I haveattended about 20 courses relating tomy career since I joined UNMIL in2003,” she says, expressing herdesire to undertake more.

The course facilitator, Moses B.Kortu, says from March to Octoberthis year 84 UNMIL personnel fromall categories including military,civilian and UN Police have benefit-ted from the training. While handingover their certificates, the Directorof Mission Support, StephenLieberman, congratulated the gradu-ates and advised them to use theskills acquired to improve their livesas well as that of others.

November 2009 - UNMIL Today - 3

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Capacity Building with a Human Face

Design and GraphicsPaddy Defoxy Ilos, II

Thomas S. Blidi

UNMIL TodayPublished by the Public Information Office, UNMIL

Chief of Public InformationGeorge Somerwill

today@unmil.orgwww.unmil.org

Head of PublicationsMathew Elavanalthoduka

Editorial Team:Sulaiman Momodu

J. Wesley Washington

stressed the importance UNMIL attaches to building the capac-ities of its national staff before the mission leaves Liberia.Lieberman told the staff that the training was not only neededin UNMIL, but throughout Liberia. “Liberia needs qualitytradesmen; we sponsor this programme with the belief that itwill help you to be productive citizens of Liberia,” he said, andnoted that UNMIL is the only mission that has this type of part-nership to offer a national staff capacity development pro-gramme. “We are serving as a model for UN Headquarters toimplement in other missions.”

Juliana Ribeiro, Acting Chief of IMTC, says the mission’ssenior management and the IMTC team have been very sup-portive of the initiative and pointed out that it was extremelyrewarding to see the participants graduate. “They have put a lotof effort on it, and earned their certificates,” she said. UNMILhas started engaging potential partners in other parts of Liberiato extend the programme to other personnel.

4 - UNMIL Today - November 2009

Special Representative of the Secretary-General, EllenMargrethe Løj in October presented certificates ofachievements to 71 UNMIL national staff who under-

went an intensive ten-week in-service training in plumbing,electricity, masonry, carpentry and vehicle mechanics.

Amid warm handshakes, the UN envoy congratulated thepersonnel including two females, many of whom had not sat ina classroom for years. Although classes were usually organizedin the evenings, the personnel attended the training with greatenthusiasm, and the graduation ceremony was time to smile andtreasure their certificates. “I am so happy. I will never forgetwhat UNMIL has done for us,” says a very elated Aaron C.Kangar.

The pilot project is an UNMIL partnership through itsIntegrated Mission Training Centre (IMTC) and the StellaMaris Polytechnic, a technical college in Monrovia. At the cer-emony, the Director of Mission Support, Stephen Lieberman,

It’s never too late to learn

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National Staff Graduate

By Sulaiman Momodu

“Je parle Fracais un peu,” 70-year-old Pauline Penny repliesUNMIL Today with a cheerful laugh when asked if she canspeak French. At her age when most people retire from learn-ing, Penny says althoughshe currently speaks someFrench, her desire is tospeak conversationalFrench. “It also helps topass the time,” says theIntermediate level studentwho started learningFrench as a beginner at theUNMIL IntegratedMission Training Centre inMonrovia.

Penny, who celebratedher first anniversary in theMission on 4 November,works as a UN Volunteerin CITS at Star Base whereshe constantly contendswith transportationthrough the usually con-

gested traffic to attend classes at the Green Building and returnto her Riverview residence on the outskirts of the capital.“When I am not working it gets quite boring so learning Frenchprovides some purpose and a challenge. Challenges make lifemore worth living,” she says rather philosophically. Added to

French, the IT Assistantwould also like to learnArabic. “I would reallylove to read the writings Isee on airplanes,” shesays. The zest to learn isonly one of Penny’s attrib-utes. At the recent UN Daycelebration, she was partof the choir, and earlierthis year she served as arapporteur at theInternational Women’sColloquium held inMonrovia. Penny stressesthat it is never too late tolearn and encourages col-leagues to make use of theIMTC language courses.Merci beaucoup, Pauline.

The Officer-in-Charge of Integrated Support Services, Col.Zubair Masood, said it would have taken 10 trips by the mis-sion’s MI-26 to transport the APCs. “The Netherlands has notcharged us anything for this. This is a goodwill gesture. ” Thechief of Movement Control (MOVCON), FerdinandHeuvelman, who hails from The Netherlands coordinated theshipment of the APCs which were needed in Monrovia as theMission gradually draws down.

UNMIL and the crew exchanged gifts and some of theMission’s personnel, including Pakistani troops who stood inthe rain to support the event, had the opportunity to tour thefacilities of the ship.

By Sulaiman Momodu

On Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday celebrated inLiberia on 5 November, the tranquil Camp Clara prem-ises on the outskirts of Monrovia became the venue to

offer thanks to some Dutch nationals for their support to theUnited Nations Mission in Liberia.

Special Representative Ellen Margrethe Løj and other sen-ior UNMIL personnel were at Camp Clara to witness a state-of-the-art Dutch ship transport Armoured Personnel Carriers(APCs) from Greenville to Monrovia.

The UN envoy thanked the crew of the Royal NetherlandsNavy ship HNLMS Johan De Witt for transportingthe APCs of the Pakistani contingent (Pakbatt-11).“It has been a fantastic cooperation. I want to thankyou for this live demonstration and through you tothe Government of The Netherlands. You havesaved the United Nations more than US$ 200,000 –you have contributed tremendously, thank you forassisting the United Nations,” she said.

Captain Ben Bekkering told the gathering thatthe ship was meant to support others whether civil-ian institutions or military units. “We are very proudthat it took so little to help so much. We could haveonly done it by working together,” he said. The shipis part of the African Partnership Station (APS) mis-sion which is an international initiative developedby United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa,which aims to work cooperatively with U.S. andinternational partners to improve maritime safetyand security. The APS is designed to build skills, theexpertise and professionalism of African navy, coastguard, marine and military.

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November 2009 - UNMIL Today - 5

UNMIL Thanks Netherlands

The United Nations Mission in Liberia in Novemberorganized Beach and Road safety campaigns both ofwhich were aimed at saving lives. An UNMIL vehicle

battered in an accident was placed at the entrance of theMission’s headquarters with the registration plate “Why?”

while graphic images were posted in various places withthoughtful road safety messages.

The aim of the biannual campaign was to reinforce, pro-mote and improve road safety. It included increased joint spotchecks by Security Section, UNPOL and Military Police. The

mission records about 20 violations/acci-dents per month involving its vehicles.“Road safety, much like personnel security,requires the involvement of everyone. Pleasedrive safely and always demonstrate defen-sive driving techniques when operating anUNMIL vehicle,” advises the Director ofMission Support, Stephen Lieberman.

The Beach campaign was to remind staffto stay clear of the ocean especially at thistime of the year when even the strongestswimmers can be swept away by undercur-rents. UNMIL has lost some personnelthrough road accidents and drowning. Pleasebe safe!

Road/Beach Safety Week

6 - UNMIL Today - November 2009

Added to rehabilitating roads and bridges, Bangladeshiengineers (BANENGR-12) have conducted a deworm-ing exercise along the Zorzor – Voinjama road with the

slogan “Getting Healthy Child by Deworming Liberia.” The pediatrician and physician of the contingent, Maj. Dr.

Zahir Sadique, along with his team carried out the massive four-day deworming campaign in October at Zorzor, Konia, Yellaand Sishedu Town and distributed deworming medicine among1,300 children.

The exercise involved the giving of anthelminthic drug torid the children of intestinal parasites such as roundworm and

tapeworm. While one sapper team was busy in trimming theundulated pavement of the Voinjama – Zorzor Road, anotherteam from the same sapper family launched the dewormingcampaign.

Intestinal worms present a serious public health problemwhere inadequate sanitation and unhygienic conditions prevail.The peacekeepers say worm-free children have a better nutri-tional status, grow faster and learn better. The campaign waspreceded by awareness lectures at schools and followed by ral-lies involving people of all ages. The locals expressed gratitudeto the team for their help.

Banengr-12 in Deworming Exercise

By Bwewusa Williams

Pakistani peacekeepers in Harper (Pakbatt-11) have handedover a newly refurbished computer laboratory to the CapePalmas High School administration and officially launched acomputer training program in the Maryland County capital.

Launching the programme, the Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. Rizwen Thurshid, said Pakbatt-11 experts repaired thecomputers, made general renovation and provided electricity. Inthe next phase instructors will be provided to train the students.He said each training session is to accommodate 40 students. Inaddition to providing Computer instructors Pakbatt-11 will pro-vide maintenance, repairs and assist in importing spare partsfrom Pakistan. Commenting on the limited materials in theComputer Lab, Lt.-Col. Rizwen said for the initial phase, train-

ing was to be limited to the students of Cape Palmas HighSchool. He therefore appealed to Non GovernmentalOrganizations operating in Harper to establish a local computercenter for the people of Harper, saying that Pakbatt-11 wouldprovide the Computer training staff.

The Principal of Cape Palmas High School, HansonMurray, commended PakBatt 11 for the gift of facilitating thecomputer laboratory. On behalf of the parents and students ofthe school, the Chairman of the Parents Teacher AssociationPatrick Nugba appreciated PakBatt11 contribution to educationand promised to make sure that the laboratory is maintainedwell. The Harper City Mayor Regina Sampson appreciated theeffort by Pakbatt-11 to empower the people of Liberia statingthat computer knowledge has now become a basic necessity oflife.

Pakbatt-11 Opens Computer Lab

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By Bwewusa William

Pakistani peacekeepers (PAKBATT-11) in Harper havelaunched an auto mechanic training session for the peo-ple of Maryland County. At the

opening ceremony held at the MarthaTubman Sports Stadium in the city, coursecoordinator Maj. Suleman Sheruwani,flanked by co-instructors HavildarMuhammad Nazir and Naik Abdul Sattar,said the four-week programme was aimedat imparting vocational skills to youngLiberians so as to enable them earn arespectable and lawful means of living.

The course included practical aspectsof automobile repair and servicing. Eachparticipant was provided a lesson plan foreach topic to guide the learners to have aclear understanding of the topic of theday.

The CIMIC officer, Capt. ImranKhan, said 15 regular students fromHarper were admitted for the trainingconducted during morning sessions. Itwas the second auto mechanic trainingcourse aimed at empowering the youth so

that they can be more skillful and professional in doing theirtasks. Capt. Khan said more training programmes were to beconducted in Pleebo district, Greenville. After evaluation par-ticipants will receive certificates of proficiency.

Pakbatt Conducts Training in Harper

Level II Hospital Opens in HarperBy Bwewusa Williams

UNMIL has opened a Level II Hospital in Harper, the capi-tal of Maryland County. The opening of the hospital in SectorA5 is expected to lead to improved health delivery services toUN staff in the sector. Before its establishment, UNMIL person-nel used the services of a Level 1 hospital which had very lim-ited medics. In most cases, UNMIL personnel were evacuatedto Monrovia.

The Level II hospital, which has more medical personnel,provides a second line health care, emergency resuscitation andstabilization, limb and life saving interventions, basic dentalcare and casualty evacuation. According to the administrator.Maj. Muhamad Fawad, the facility has the capacity to treat upto 40 ambulatory patients per day and hospitalize up to 20

patients, among others. Dr. Fawad said per day, the hospital canperform up to 10 basic radiological investigations, 20 diagnos-tic lab tests, including basic hematology, blood chemistry andurine analysis.

With a Dental Care Services Unit, the facility is expected toalleviate the acute dental care service problem in the countysince the only referral Hospital – J J Dossen Hospital doesn’tprovide such services. Some emergencies referred by J.JDossen Hospital can be handled by the hospital.

Added to sensitization of the public on local radio stations,the medical personnel will be conducting medical outreach pro-grammes for various medical conditions and awareness cre-ation. The Sector A5 Regional Administrative Officer RobertAdebiyi says medical services will be extended to all UNMILcamps in the sector.

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Nigerian Signal contingent (NISIG-10) at Camp Abuja inMonrovia has undertaken a computer training pro-gramme for secondary schools within the capital. The

training conducted in October targeted the New EraInternational School and was aimed at providing computerawareness to teachers and students.

The five-day training package provided an introduction ofbasic computing to senior high school students and teachers.Students learned about computer history and an overview ofpopular applications such as Microsoft Word. NISIG-10instructors also provided a practical exercise regarding differenthardware components. As computer education has becomeimperative in today’s world, the principal and the entire schoolexpressed their gratitude to NISIG-10 for their efforts.

Asix-week course on “First Aid and Medicare”has been conducted by BANMED-6 at theBangladesh-Liberia Youth Centre. A total of 25Liberians participated in the course including 15females.

The certificate award ceremony held at the training venuewas witnessed by senior UNMIL personnel and local residents.Liberians present at the occasion expressed their appreciation toBangladesh Level-II Hospital for their efforts and requested formore trainings in future.

Lt.-Col. Mahbubur Rahman, Commanding Officer BAN-MED-6, expressed delight at being able to contribute to thecapacity building of young Liberians, some of whom arealready working with medical institutions.

Banmed-6 Organizes Medicare Course

ray machines at JFK which is fully operational now.Officers of the JORMED hospital committed themselves to

repair two damaged X-ray machines at the JFK, the only gov-ernment referral hospital in Monrovia, as a result of the facili-tation role of Civil Affairs and the Montserrado County UNField Office. Parts used for the repair works were purchased bythe Government of Liberia.

Dr. McDonald Scott, Chief Administrator of JFKhospital, has expressed gratitude to UNMIL forcontinuing support to the people of Liberia,especially in revamping the Health Sector of thecountry.

Dr. Scott was full of gratitude after technicians from theUNMIL JORMED successfully repaired one of the damaged X-

Jormed Assists JFK

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By Helene Gortzen

Every year UNPOL Officer Artur Walczuk participates inKatowice Half Marathon in Poland but not this year.Walczuk is currently serving with the UNMIL Forces in

Liberia as an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Advisor. So,instead of running the 21,097 m in the cold and rainy Katowice,Poland, he went about organizing the ERU Half Marathon “FunRun” in Monrovia.

All set to go, on 18 October at eight o’clock (ten o’clockPolish time) the 37 participants in Monrovia – 34 ERU officersand 3 UNPOL officers – and 500 counterparts in Katowice setoff on their joint mission – to complete and finish half amarathon. Along the route officers from the ERU Training,Advisory and Planning supported the runners with water,encouragement and transport, if necessary. Very soon into therace, Lead ERU Trainer at the National Police TrainingAcademy Amos Williams immediately took the lead positionand maintained it for a very long time. However, the heat andhumidity took its toll, and Williams finished 4th after ERUOperator Maxwell Mulbah in 3rd place, ERU Operator MorrisTayah in 2nd place and the winner ERU Operator Jalla Mulbah.Jalla Mulbah impressed everybody by finishing the 21,097 mlong run in only 2 hours, a great accomplishment in the difficultrunning conditions.

Our berets off to the runners in both countries and for ArturWalczuk, who finished sixth, and his ERU and UNPOL col-leagues in Liberia for an admirable and well executed initiative- “Viva Liberia”

Katowice Half Marathon - Fun Run in Liberia

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By Seble Worku

Sector A1, B1 Public Information in collaboration withother components of UNMIL has embarked on a five-day youth empowerment and awareness training under

the theme,”Get involved and make a difference.” The overallpurpose of the program is to sensitize about 400 young peoplefrom seven high schools in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount andGbarpolu counties, including women and youth groups andpeople with disabilities, on the problems that stem from sexualand gender based violence, HIV /AIDS, corruption and otherrelated issues. The program also encourages young men to beinvolved in the fight against rape, teenage pregnancy and sexu-al harassment.

The workshops that had already taken place in BomiCounty (Tubmanburg and Guthrie Rubber plantation) andGrand Cape Mount counties were highly lauded by participantswho recommended extended sessions on issues such as corrup-tion and teenage pregnancy, which is a huge problem in theirareas. UNMIL HIV/AIDS Unit intensively discussed ways ofprotecting oneself against the disease and furthermore distrib-uted male and female condoms.

Corruption was discussed by Bomi County DevelopmentOfficer Lee S. Mason under the title “Where does it begin andhow does it end?”. Other topics included developing selfesteem, nationalism, and warning signs of abuse in relation-

ships. An expert from UNMIL Legal and Judicial ServicesSupport Division explained to participants the definition of vio-lence, aggression, forms of violence (physical, emotional, etc.)domestic violence, forms of sexual harassment, the rape law,measures to be taken if rape happens, reporting and supportingthe rape victim and other related issues. To enhance the pro-gramme, reading materials and T- shirts that read “Positive atti-tude for a positive Change” were distributed. Similar trainingswill be taking place in Sinje, and Gbarpolu County as the dryseason begins.

Bomi County authorities, health experts from TubmanburgGovernment Hospital, Grand Cape Mount County HealthTeam, UNMIL Sector A1 B1 Human Rights, LJSSD and CivilAffairs sections, Norwegian Refugee Council -NRC, and“Mary’s Meals”, a Charity organization, are amongst the keypartners who have so far assisted by providing materials and

“Get involved andmake a difference”

Many potential hazardous conditions that lead to backinjury can be identified and avoided:

Prolonged static postureThe healthy body can only tolerate staying in one position

for about 20 minutes. That is why sitting at a desk in an officechair becomes uncomfortable after a short time. Standing in oneplace for extended periods of time tends to cause back pain.Holding the same position slowly diminishes elasticity in thesoft tissues (muscles ligaments and tendons in the back). Then,stress builds up and causes back discomfort and/orleg discomfort.

The solution is simple. Whether you're sitting inan office chair or standing, change positions frequent-ly. Just move. Stand or sit, stretch, take a short walk.After returning to the standing or sitting posture, usean alternate posture for just a few moments and someof the tissue elasticity needed to protect the joints willreturn.

Frequent or repetitive stretching to the end rangeof motion or awkward, angled postures can bind thejoints. Unlike jobs that require long-term seating inan office chair, jobs that require frequent repetitivemotion can cause great discomfort. Such jobs involvelifting from the floor, lifting overhead, moving bulky

loads, or using rotational force or twisting while handling mate-rial and which signal back injuries might be on the way.

Heavy loads offer greater risk If the job requires movingheavy or bulky objects, it is important to have the propertools/equipment.

Fatigue from sitting in an office chair for days, from workor from insomnia can make people move more awkwardly. Ifone is overtired or feels fatigued, it is advisable to avoid liftingheavy objects alone or quickly. (Courtesy UNMILOccupational Health and Safety Unit)

Minimize Back Injuries

By J. Wesley Washington

The Palace ofCorrections on theoutskirts of

Zwedru, Grand GedehCounty, is now beingmanned by the new contin-gent of Formed PoliceUnit (FPU) from India.The Indian FPU replacedthe Jordanians who havebeen reassigned. The facility recently experienced a jailbreak inwhich several inmates escaped but were recaptured after a vig-orous cordon and search operation.

The 122-strong male contingent, part of the world’s largestpara-military force - the Central Reserve Police Force of India,

is the second Indian FPU thathas joined the Mission. Thefirst is an all-female contingentthat’s based in Monrovia.

Since taking over responsi-bility to support local authori-ties to maintain law and orderin the county, including pro-viding security to theCorrections Palace, they haveimproved the situation tremen-dously. Already, the thick and

dense bush that overwhelmed the entire outside perimeter of thePalace has been cleared thereby providing a facelift to the exte-rior of the compound as well as ensuring both foot and vehicu-lar patrols can be undertaken around the premises. They havealso begun to erect additional observation posts with nightvision logistics to ensure effective surveillance of the entirecompound during day and night.

To ensure that there is a full police presence in the city, theIndian FPU in collaboration with officers of the LiberiaNational Police (LNP) conduct regular patrols as a show ofstrength to deter any would be trouble-makers.

Since arriving here in August, the Indian FPU has partici-pated in a number of medical outreaches. The first was inSenewehn (68 kilometers) from Zwedru and more recently, incollaboration with the Chinese Level II Hospital, another wasdone in Zwedru where an Indian ophthalmologist assisted agood number of locals with eye problems.

Commandant Jaideep Misra says during their sojourn herewith UNMIL they look forward to engaging various communi-ties in their area of responsibility as well as provide whateverassistance they can in bettering the lives of Liberians.

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By Bwewusa William & Emmanuel Capehart

More than 50 judicial and law enforcement officialshave been provided basic skills and techniques aimedat strengthening relations among key players creating

a more effective and efficient criminal justice system inMaryland County.

Conducted at the UNMIL Headquarters in Harper under thesponsorship of the UNHCR Field Office in late October, thetwo-day capacity-building exercise was under the auspices ofthe sub-cluster of the Rule of Law segment in Marylandand held in collaboration with UNMIL Legal andJudicial Systems Support Human Rights and ProtectionSection, Correction Advisory Unit, the Carter Center,and the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.

The chairman of the sub-cluster of the Rule of Lawsegment in Maryland County, Thomas Marwolo, saysthe exercise is to ensure that the rule of law segment ismore proactive in the region. He said the drive is todevelop a holistic framework through an awarenesscampaign on the role of the Liberia National Police, the

courts and corrections centers, and how to foster a genuinecriminal justice system.

The UNMIL National Human Rights Officer in Sector A5,Urias Pour, expressed the hope that participants would applyhuman rights principles while executing their duties. He saidthere was a comprehensive plan by the UNMIL Human RightsUnit in the sector to periodically organize refresher training inthe county. Facilitators were from UNMIL, UNHCR and part-ners.

Law Officers Trained in Harper

Locals Benefit From Indian FPU

als for use by various partners. Recent reports indicate that between January and July this

year, 2,188 SGBV cases were reported. Between the same peri-od last year, 2,045 cases were reported. “It is very difficult to getaccurate statistics because of very high compromises. People stillprefer settling cases in the family outside the courts,” says theProgramme Advisor of the UN-Government Joint Programme,Madhumita Sakar, but acknowledges that reporting has marked-ly improved. The Joint Programme comprises UNMIL, UNagencies, non-governmentalorganizations and theGovernment of Liberia.

“We are still gettingmany SGBV reports and thatpropels us to struggle every-day to end violence againstwomen,” says GenderAdvisor Doucet, stressingthat ending violence againstwomen could only beachieved with men’s sup-port. “Every little gesturecounts. We need to fight thistogether: men and women.”

The 16 Days of Activismis an international campaignthat provides an opportunityfor activists to work in soli-darity to help raise aware-ness about gender violenceand highlights its effects onwomen globally. This year’sglobal theme is: “Commit.Act. Demand: We can endviolence against women.”The period also includesDecember 10, InternationalHuman Rights Day, in orderto symbolically link vio-lence against women andhuman rights and to empha-size that such violence is a

violation of human rights; it also highlights December 1, WorldAIDS Day, among others.

This year, the Government of Liberia with the support ofUNMIL and UN agencies celebrated World AIDS Day in NimbaCounty in combination with a health fair but there was HIVawareness and sensitization all over Liberia. “As peacekeepers,it is important to reflect on our attitude towards people livingwith HIV, and ensure there is no discrimination against them,”says Dr. Gameli Seadzi, Chief of HIV& AIDS Unit.

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