The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, (MoGCSP), is deeply concerned about reports that female employees of the Ministry of Finance, and Development Planning, (MoFDP), are being restricted from entering the building for wearing colored or unnatural hair.
A local media outlet recently reported that a number of female employees of MoFDP, are currently away from work, because they have been instructed to wear only ‘black colored-natural hair.’
Given the ramification of such distressing situation at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, MoGCSP, through the office of the Minister, engaged authorities at MoFDP to firstly ascertain the veracity of the story and, if true – to constructively engage them on revisiting said policy.
The authorities of MoFDP confirmed to the Minister that the policy on hair color and styles were a part of their Employee Handbook published in 2014; Section 7.4 of the Employee Handbook discourages the use of unnatural colored hair (such as Green, Pink, etc) and extreme hairstyles.
The Gender Minister then encouraged MoFDP authorities to revisit such policy and ensure that an amended version is in conformity with this present government’s own agenda for the protection of women’s rights given the fact that both President Dr. George M. Weah and Min. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., are avowed He4Shes and women’s rights champions.
This intervention is expected to yield positive results as soon as possible, as MoFDP was very responsive during the engagement.
Though the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection welcomes the setting up of internal workplace regulations, it seriously frowns on any kind of policy that discriminates against women.
The Decent Work Law of Liberia clearly defines discrimination as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Additionally, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, (MGCSP), calls on all public and private institutions to harmonize their policies in line with the National Code of Conduct and Decent Work Bill, and make necessary amendments, to avoid the violation of women’s rights.
A press release signed by the ministry’s Communication Specialist, Eric Pervist
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