June 10, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
The twenty first century is the era of gender equality. Stop oppressing women.
Women empowerment and global development are amongst other global issues.
We are talking about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with emphasis on promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women in goal five, This is in spite of the fact that laws and legislations that perpetrate a patriarchal setting of society remain on our statute book.
In 2015, world leaders agreed with the United Nations that they can change the world for the better. Women and girls, everywhere, must have equal rights and opportunity, and be able to live free of violence and discrimination.
Women equality and empowerment is one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development. In short, all the Sustainable Development Goals depend on the achievement of Goal five. If any country is left behind for the next ten years, the world will not be counting that country. That is why we are calling on the government of this country to do all it takes to enact protection laws that remove constraints to their self-actualization.
The gender disempowering trend provides a recipe for stunted development. Women are the hub of households in Africa and the family is the primary unit on which society and nations are built.
And it is on this unit that national development initiatives will hinge. It is also a development fact that law plays a great role in shaping society and driving the development agenda.
Conversely, laws should be used to spur the development process rather than neglecting it to the extent of compromising development process.
The National women`s conference in Sierra Leone on the theme “Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Sierra Leone” convened on the 18th & 19th March, 2021is a Clarion call for the women of Sierra Leone assert their rights.
Sierra Leone like other societies is dynamic and since it has embraced the idea of gender parity, must take concrete actions in actualizing the ideal.
Contemporary society accords equal treatment to men and women and this has proved to be the right path towards global development. I am joining the women of Sierra Leone to call for the removal of any obstacles that would hinder the smooth movement to development. Accordingly such bottlenecks like unfavorable laws and legal constraints must be removed and rolled back.
I am joining the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and partners that the House of Representatives should be supportive in this reform agenda.
They should take actions such as domesticating international laws that are in wider interest of all and sundry.. Reform in the law and enhanced access to justice will give protection to women. There will be enhanced protection from other feminine tied challenges such as marital rape and domestic violence among other benefits that can promote women empowerment and their independence.
I can still remember thirty six years back on the Third world conference on women, otherwise known as the Nairobi forward looking conference of 1985. At the conference event, the question of why more women should be involved in decision-making process took Centre stage.
In Sierra Leone there is a lot of gender consciousness today. We are seeing many women groups advocating for their rights.
The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs alongside the 50/50 Group and the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone had 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 Brookfileds Freetown on the 18th & 19th March,2021.
I believe that the women have made history in Sierra Leone. The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) policy was launched by the president of the Republic.
The women have demonstrated that they are ready for gender equality that is why they have lobbied with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and they have had a conference to discuss the designed and achievable result oriented framework for women in Sierra Leone.