By: James Kamara-Manneh
The Minister of Gender Affairs, Madam Manty Tarawallie in an exclusive interview outlined gains made under the new direction of President Julius Maada Bio.
She categorically stated that under the new direction government, the ministry had ensured for the first time women can now be land owners (buy or inherit) anywhere in the country without restrictions.
Madam Tarawallie reveals that this has only happened under the gender mainstreaming project of the new direction government.
She said her ministry has put in place various policies in addressing issues relating to women and girls.
“After the 2018 election President Bio promised to strengthen the Gender Ministry and this has been fulfilled. In 2019, the ministry was separated into two different mandates to put more effort into issues relating to women, and girls above all gender issues. As part of their mandate, the Gender Affairs Ministry is to focus on and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment policies as well as strengthen child mechanisms and ensure their safety. Whilst ensuring the equality and empowerment of women you also think about the protection of children; therefore our mandate is interrelated”, she narrated.
Speaking about protecting the child, she adds that they have been focusing on issues of child abuse, neglect, education and street children, and the ministry must respond swiftly in preventing and protecting it from happening, “Every response is costly to the nation, family, and the community, and our attention is focus on the response and preventing”.
On the issue of children, the Minister said the approach is on family tracing (Family Tracing and Reintegration), this model is mainly on tracing street children and integrating them with their families. Children’s family is traced to integrate or reintegrate them back into society.
She revealed that they further conducted an economic assessment of the family to ascertain whether they can upkeep the needs of the child. They also provide counselling, Empower families with finances, sensitize the community to avoid stigmatization of children, and Integrate them in educational Institutions or Tvets Training.
Tvets Training for children especially those who do not want to return home because they want to be independent (above 18 yrs) and it can be difficult to adopt them.
“Children were taken from the village on the pretext of sending them to school, turning the street into their home, lack of education and contracting sexually transmitted diseases and also early pregnancy. Regular checking on institutions that takes care of the street children for a frequent update on their activity, progress of the child, or on whether they have been emotionally abused. Recurrently, the Ministry interfaces with these institutions because they are working in the interest of the people of Sierra Leone”, she explained.
The Minister said her ministry has carried out the plans and agendas of President Bio in transforming gender ministry into a more production and result-oriented institution under the medium-term development goal.
She added under the new direction government, the ministry had ensured for the first time women can now be land owners (buy or inherit) anywhere in the country without restrictions. This happens under the gender mainstreaming project.
Next, for the first time also mining companies are mandated to conduct an annual social assessment on the social impact of their job on women and girl children. The reason is that women over the years have been abused sexually or emotionally by various mining companies, therefore, it is prudent on the side of the government to bring such policy to protect women and girl children in mining companies. The ministry will be abreast with feeding and will be prompt to take remedial actions to address the program.
Under the New direction of government, she said they have been able to set up a women’s entrepreneurship fund. This fund is available to all women in the country and has been made available to places like Bo, where a centre is been set up to carry out business activities, and in the future, such will be set up in other places.
She further revealed for the time again that President Bio has agreed to gender budgeting as a nation. This means that every MDA’s this year when tabling their annual budget must indicate the allotted percentage for women, girl children, and men; that’s the empowerment and equality ideology.
The Ministry has also been able to develop adolescent and reproductive health centres.
Madam Tarawallie said These centres are set up for young people to seek assistance in sexual and reproductive health. According to her, it helps to reduce teenage pregnancy and allows the woman or girl child to speak freely in acquiring the needed help.
On the issue of sexual violence (rape), she alluded that it is not the first time women and girls have been suffering from such menace, therefore the Ministry is now responding to it by setting up a free toll line free of cost to report cases of such to the respective authorities.
She concluded by appreciating President Bio for bestowing trust and confidence in her in transforming and bringing change to the Gender Ministry. She called on all to support the new direction of the government in any way possible to develop Sierra Leone.