March 22, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs in partnership with the 50/50 Group and the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone has held a national Conference on the theme “Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Sierra Leone” at the New Brookfield’s Hotel Jomo Kenyatta Road Brookfields Freetown on the 18th & 19th March,2021.
The chairperson for the occasion Ms.Valnora Edwin said the gathering is geared towards the implementation of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (GEWE), and also to discuss the design to achieve a result oriented framework for women in Sierra Leone. She said in the past few months the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) policy was launched by the President of the Republic.
She commended the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and her team partner’s state institutions and non-state actors especially the 50/50 Group for the continued passion and enthusiasm. She continued that women empowerment is not a new phenomenon in the context of Sierra Leone as women have played an integral part in the history of Sierra Leone.
She mentioned few women pioneers like Madam Yoko, Madam Hela Koblo Gulama, Mrs.Shirly Gbujama, Dr.Nana Prate, amongst others. She acknowledged them for laying the foundation and for passing on their legacy.
She said successive governments have initiated a number of measures that will lead to the enforcement of the Sexual Offensive Act, the Child Rights Act, the Medium Term Development Plan, discussion around Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the Free Health Care for pregnant Woman and lactating mothers, Free Quality Education, and most importantly the new Ministry of Gender for partnering for result.
She acknowledged that women still have a long way to go and must be strengthened and reinforced as Sierra Leone is a signatory to International, Regional conventions, the Maputo Protocol, the Africa Charters, CEDAW, to name but a few. She said women have issues with constitution review committee.
In her welcomed statement to all women from across the 16 districts the Mayor of Freetown, Madam Yvonne Aki-Sawyer said the atmosphere in the hall has shown that women are ready for equality in Sierra Leone. She welcomed her fellow compatriots’ women in to Freetown as she said the city is safe. She said in the past parliament was having more women than the present Parliament. She said that women in Sierra Leone have a responsibility to implement what they will be arriving at after the program.
The Mayor highlighted that there are five PHUs for pregnant women to have more access to proper and safe birth in the city. She said they accessed donor funding 3.585 million to work with ‘Mama Pikin’ foundation to train medical practitioners in gynecologist, paediatrics to enure that there are more qualified doctors in the country. She said during the COVID-19 the council trained three hundred women to support them with urban farming; “so women should occupy their space,” she concluded.
President of the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone, Mrs. Maude Peacock elaborated about the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) policy and the development of action plans.
Mrs Peacock said there is need to support women and girls in Sierra Leone for the enhancement of social, economic and political empowerment. She said the women are not looking at the challenges but to their achievement ahead.
As an umbrella organization in Sierra Leone that has been advocating for the realization for the International Women day to be celebrated in country, she recited late President Kabbah statement made in Makeni “when I said women you say power.” Whereas, in Moyamba former President Koroma apologized publicly to the women for all the bad things done to them during the rebel war; and President Bio said: “happy women happy nation”. She said they as women are saying: ‘employ us! Appoint us! And elect us!’
In climaxing the programme the Hon. Justice Miatta Samba commended the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs as this year’s conference has given them an opportunity to meet as women in society to collectively put their ideas and resources to ensure effective implementation of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy.
She tailored her keynote address into three thematic themes ; looking at the general position of women in Sierra Leone since independence, the attempt made by women in position and current trend made by this dispensation to build upon previous effort of past government in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment in Sierra Leone. She said women were not allowed to talk in public forum as they are always expected to take the back seat.
She said impactful effort has been made over the years to remedy the challenges faced by the girl child and women in Sierra Leone. She said successive dispensation again and again attempted to find solutions to the problem faced by girls and women in the country. “It is a fact that we have seen the enactment of legislation geared towards gender equality and women’s rights in Sierra Leone.”
Justice Samba said Sierra Leone is signatory to so many international and regional conventions. She said women must congratulate the first female Attorney General of Sierra Leone. She said this time for women to aspire for what they want in life. She added that women should take this opportunity and make their voices heard and believe in themselves.