Cllr Ruth Jappah-Samukai

AWLA Liberia

General Secretary of African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA,) Liberia

Practice Areas

  • Business Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Employment Law
  • Gov & Administrative Law
  • Securities Law

Biography

Ruth is a feminist with a passion for women’s rights. After the 1989 civil war of Liberia, she teamed up with a group of women to study the impact of the Liberian civil war on women and children, relating to violence, sexual exploitation and displacement. The result of this research was a training module for health care provider, enabling them to respond to the needs of victims of violence in non-traditional ways. She was also invited to participate in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 where she facilitated and participated in workshops on women in conflict situations.

Education & other engagements

A graduate of Howard University (USA) and University of Liberia in Law. Other trainings include: Leadership in Development, from Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Human Rights, Peace and Security, from InDevelop-IPM International Consultants, Sweden; and Policy Advocacy & Engagement Training from West Africa Civil Society Institute, Accra, Ghana.
A champion for Women’s Land rights, expert in anti-corruption laws and Code of Conduct for government officials and employees. She is currently a Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission of the Republic of Liberia with oversight responsibility for harmonizing Liberia’s dual legal systems.

Results

In 1992, she served as the Director of Research and Publications at the Center of Law & Human Rights Education where she managed the Research Department and Human Rights Review Magazine, organized workshops and training seminars on several peace agreements between the Government of Liberia and various warring factions to facilitate public dialogue and education on the agreements, etc.

Cllr Jappah has co-authored several publications including: Women’s Land Rights Study, 2011, and Violence against Women during the Liberian Civil conflict, Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA, 1998;279:625-629).