BY PROBLYN J. ALPHA
Rainbow Initiative Center Gender and Sexual Based Violence (SGBV) 2021 data has revealed that, Kono District recorded at least one hundred and seventy nine (179) physical assault cases making the highest with fifty four point nine percent (59.9%), while the Western Urban and Rural areas of Freetown recorded one thousand two hundred and twenty one sexual assault cases with forty one point two percent, making the highest sexual assault cases reported at the various Rainbow centre in Sierra Leone in the year under review. This is according to the Rainbow initiative communication officer, Bob Lamin.
He made the pronouncement when explaining to our correspondent the purpose of a day training of Journalists on reporting Gender Based Violence. The training which brought together 35 journalists drawn from 25 media houses in Sierra Leone was held in Freetown with support from Irish Aid.
Bob Lamin said the training was organized in fulfillment of a Memorandum of understanding Rainbow initiative signed with Sierra Leone women in Journalism (SLAWIJ) to train media practitioners on reporting SGBV stories.
Officially launching the Rainbow Center GBV data 2021 during a press conference after the training session, the Radio initiative executive director Daniel Kettor revealed that, 2021 was exciting not only did they launch their strategic plan 2020-2024, but they also held a successful get involved work with GBV survivors sponsored walk during the 16 days of activation campaign against Gender Based Violence to raise awareness on sexual violence and abuse in Sierra Leone.
From the data presented, Rainbow Initiative boss said they observed that, there has been decrease in reported cases to the Rainbow Centers, however, he said this does not in any way suggest that, there is a challenge in the behavior of people.
Mr. Kettor said, his organization has also observed that, perpetrators of SGBU are committing dreadful crimes including the killing of the survivors because of a life sentence perpetrators are getting younger, example, seven years old boy sexually abused a three year old baby girl and repeated the same when he was twelve years to a five year old girl, there are no reformation programs that focus on perpetrators while in and out of the correctional Centers, significant rise in anxiety level among survivors resulting to mental health conditions, physical violence against women and girls increased during the covid-19 period.
Concluding Rainbow initiative executive director, Daniel Kettor, thanked their partners and donors including the government of Sierra Leone, Irish Aid, European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone comic relief, frocare and UNFPA for their financial support to Rainbow. He added that, Rainbow initiative is committed to continuing working with survivors in 2022 and to expand their services to two new Districts.