By: Aruna Kamara in Bo
Residents of Zimmi in Makpele Chiefdom in Pujehun District have urged the multinational companies including Gola Forest, Socfin Agriculture Company and Natural habitat operating in the district to measure up to their cooperate social responsibilities.
They made this statement at a one day community gender sensitive forum on UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights and Sexual and gender Base violence and Sexual offences Act, 2019.
It took place the Zimmi Community Hall. Last week.
Town Chief of Zimmi, B. Konneh said that they are not crying down these companies in terms of not doing well but they have a lot to do as it was part of the land agreement to provide some basic social amenities.
The Mammy Queen of Zimmi, Kadiatu Konneh said that Women should be involve in the land agreements that they enter into and that they are happy now as women are being involved but more have to be done to ensuring that the rights of the women are protected including all and sundry in the chiefdom.
She said that when it comes to employment there should not be discrimination as long as the people in the district have the requirement and meet the other lay down criteria for requirement but this seems to be lacking in some of the areas the multinational companies are operating in the district.
Jenneh Tucker one of the participants ,said a lot of injustices were meted out on them including violation of the labour laws, land grabbing and their livelihood is largely affected by the operation of the multinational cooperation.
They claimed that maternity and paternity leave is not adequately observed by the companies and the UN Guiding Principles clearly speak to the fact that these business enterprises must protect and respect their rights.
Joseph Koroma said that the stakeholders including their brothers and sisters are conniving with the multinational companies to cheat them, and their livelihood is affected
Amie Kemokai said that some of their loved ones who become incapacitated or are illegally sacked by the multinational cooperation find it difficult to get their salaries or benefit, adding that a lot of them have died without having what due them.
She claimed that Women get up early in the morning and when some of them who could not wake up early in morning encounter problem and later lost their lives but nothing is done by the multinational companies in Pujehun District.
“Debate on the Land Rights bill in parliament should speed up in order to stop land grabbing so that the land holding families will benefit from their land. We want labor laws to be revisited to benefit the women,’’ She said.
Alhaji Abdulai J Kamara said that it is good that the rights of the people should be protected as they have heard a lot about other multinational companies coming into the district.
“We are happy that we have also been sensitive on Sexual and Gender Base Violence which is affecting women in the district and making the children not to do well in also Public examination” he said. The education on Sexual offence Act has also empowered us to stand up against the sexual abuses against the girls and women district, he said.
The Director of Foundation of Human Right and Democracy ,Jarai Barrie, said that they received funding from UNDP in order to popularize the UNDP Guiding Principle on Business and Human Right so that they will be empowered to protect their rights and to also have a say in the development of their district.
Madam Barrie said that the views of the people during the engagement will be taken to the stakeholders, multinational companies and the government in order to address the concerns of the people affected by the operation of the multinational companies.
Madam Barrie noted that the people should understand the gender laws including the sexual offence Act 2019 as reports have indicated that Pujehun District is on record for high sexual and Gender Base Violence.
He said that people should know how SGBV relates to Business and human rights as there are Business enterprises which are multinational companies operating in the district, adding that they will be back to look into grievance redress mechanisms
The lead facilitator, who doubles as the Chairman of Civil Society in Pujehun District, Ibrahim Swarray said that the rebel war came as a result of the abuse and violation of the right of the people and to avoid the repetition of the war, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights must be respected.
He said that there are 31 UN Guiding Principle with three strategic pillars including obligation of protection of the rights by government or state, the respect of rights by the multinational companies including Socfin Agriculture Company, and the Government should provide remedies to the abuse and violations of human rights.
Mr. Swarray said there must be policies, and legislations to ensure that there is protection and respect of the rights of the people, adding that there must be ethical consideration of Socfin Agricultural Company and other multinational cooperation to measure up to their cooperate social responsibility
He said that Pujehun District is on record for high sexual penetration cases and other sexual abuses and that it is good that the knowledge they have received on the Gender laws will help to stop sexual abuses and other human rights violations in the Pujehun district.
There was also similar engagement in Taninahun in Malen Chiefdom in Pujehun District where residents of that chiefdom raised grave concern over labor laws allegedly violated as most of the residents are not given promotion in their job.
