By Mabinty M. Kamara
The European Union Representative to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens has called on Political parties in Sierra Leone to give more opportunities to their female members to vie for national leadership positions. “Just around the corner, political parties are having their conventions. I am not going to dictate what would be the outcome of those conventions but this is my appeal to all the Political leaders to make sure that they move from intentions to actions…enshrine your ambitions into those conventions in promoting the role of women in governance,” he said.
He added that having women at the heart of all developmental activities is at the core of every democracy. Ambassador Tom Vens also encouraged journalists to look for stories that show respect for the women, the roles they play and the hopes that they represent.
He made this calls when speaking at a workshop held in Freetown on the popularization of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment policy (GEWE) organized by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) and Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) with support from SENDS Sierra Leone and Irish aid in commemoration of International Women’s day.
Speaking at the event, the President of WIMSAL, Femi Jarette Coker applauded the role of the government in ensuring the protection and promotion of the rights of women in the country. She described the policy as a great move in addressing the numerous challenges that women and girls face in the country such as sexual and gender-based violence, equal representation and the barriers for women attainment of leadership positions in both the private and public sector.
Madam Jarette - Coker added that for the media to be better placed in analyzing the document, they needed to be capacitated in their content development and warned her colleagues to be engaged in gender sensitive reporting and also called on parliament to support the policy.
The president for the Female Parliamentary Caucus, Veronica Kadie Sesay said being a female parliamentarian in a male dominated parliament was challenging. She said they continue to push for their space and positions as women ignoring all sorts of intimidations from their male counterparts.
The MP pledged their commitment to making the policy work for the betterment of the women of Sierra Leone when.
She called on women be to be confident and believe in their God given potentials and go for what they want to achieve.
As one of the longest serving parliamentarians with 17 years of service, she said she was now ready to vie for the position of the national Vice Chairperson of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).
The Executive Director of Send Sierra Leone, Joseph Eyenga said that leadership was not by might or strength but by wisdom and knowledge. He also called on the media to take the lead in promoting the issues of women in the country.
The Director of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Charles Vandi took the participants through a presentation of the document.
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