Expert Views

Sierra Leone’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill (GEWE) 2021, was passed by parliament on November 15, 2022. Exactly 2 months later, President Julius Maada Bio signed the bill into law.  This was a laudable venture in our country’s history, a monumental leap for women’s issues. Women across the country and the world at large nodded in agreement of this new law, but also noting that a lot more needs to be done to address women’s issues in Sierra Leone.

The women in Sierra Leone have long been the subject of gender inequality. In 2021, the country ranked 162 out of 170 on the UNDP’s Gender Inequality index. Data from UN Women also shows that as of February 2021, only 12.3% of seats in parliament were held by women. Cases of underaged marriage and limited access to healthcare and work opportunities are also still prevalent.

Women are still yearning for more representation and equity not just in parliament or cabinet, but also in every sector in society, from urban to rural settings where women are at the bottom rung of the ladder.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is still a major concern. An estimated 62 per cent of women aged 15–49 report having experienced physical or sexual violence, according to the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey (SLDHS). While in recent years Sierra Leone has declared rape a national emergency and strengthened laws against sexual violence, the country has witnessed high-profile cases of gender-based violence, including the recent murder of Sinnah Kai-Kargbo, in which her boyfriend stands accused, according to Afro Barometer article

According to the Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) 2019 annual report, out of 12,314 criminal cases, 3,252 were sexual penetration of minors, representing 26.4% of the total criminal activity reported in 2019. That means that one out of each four criminal cases in Sierra Leone in 2019 was sexual penetration of a minor. Western Urban and Rural areas accounted for 39.94% of all cases of sexual penetration in 2019.

In 2020, Rainbow Initiative, recorded 3,584 reported cases of SGBV across their five centers in Freetown, Makeni, Kono, Kenema and Bo. Of the total reported cases, 94% were survivors of sexual assault, including a 3-month old baby and a 100-year old woman. The report further revealed that 559 survivors were pregnant at the time they visited a Rainbo centre.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. IWD is being commemorated across the country, with today being a public holiday. The theme for this year’s IWD is #EmbracingEquity. This calls for serious reflection on the gains, successes, achievements, but also, on where we have gotten it wrong for improvement.

Collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women’s Day impactful. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”

In this regard, we at ChildFund ask that everyone makes International Women’s Day and every other day their day and do what they can to truly make a positive difference for women and girls. We must endeavor to forge a gender-equal world. Globally, ChildFund prioritizes women’s and girls’ issues because we believe that girls should know their roles, rights and responsibilities from their early years as they grow and transition into womanhood.

ChildFund has always considered education a major foundation and catalyst for achieving gender equality and empowerment. It is only through education that young children, both girls and boys, can develop into responsible citizens.

Education allows children and young adults to make informed decisions about their lives, understand their rights and apply them to achieve their dreams and lead a dignified life.

There are many more initiatives ChildFund is taking towards empowering women through education and skills training, like supporting underprivileged youth by providing employability and entrepreneurship training.

The organization also works with women’s groups by helping them develop into Self Help Groups and federations, Savings Groups, Mother Support Groups. While working with the communities, women are educated on the skills of decision making, advocacy and participating in various fora at the village level. They have an idea that their roles are not just confined to the farm or kitchen. Our interventions are helping them know that they are an essential part of the society, and they can transform and lead their communities, let alone their families, towards progress if supported properly. We also focus on dispelling the lies and myths that women are inferior to men.

At the national level, we continue to join voices and forces with other like-minded organizations in advocating for the involvement, placement of women in critical decision-making, governance, among others.

In this regard, I call upon the government, local government, International Non-governmental organizations (INGOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Civil Society organizations to continue:

• Celebrating women’s achievements
• Raising awareness about discrimination
• Taking action to drive gender parity.
• Including women in decision making process
• Appointing women to top positions in governance
• Giving them a fair representation in parliament and cabinet, as Sierra Leoneans go to the polls on June 24th, 2023
• Prioritizing education for the girl child as they grow up to being women of substance in society
• Ensuring young girls and women are able to make their own choices
• Giving them equal rights and justice
• Treating them with respect
• Protecting them from gender-based violence

Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.