By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has launched a Gender Directorate as part of efforts to position the Commission well in the fight against gender based violence and discrimination.
The move is an upgrade of the Gender Unit of the Commission, officials told Politico, and it coincides with the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
According to officials, upgrading of the Unit into a Directorate was also a way of complementing the strides of the government in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence in the country. It is also a way of protecting women and girls against human right abuses, said Ishmael Baryoh, Public Information Officer at the Commission.
He told Politico more about how the establishment of the directorate and the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism would help their work.
“The launch of the gender directorate and the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism with a list of activities lined up is very important to the Commission as it lays premium on the issues of women and work towards ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Sierra Leone as prioritized by the government,” he said.
The 16 Days of Activism is a global campaign done by individuals and organizations to help raise awareness and call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. It was initiated in 1991 by a group of activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute held by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University in New Jersey, United States. Ever since it has gained global attention.
Like elsewhere in the world, in Sierra Leone the over two weeks long event is characterized by lots of campaigns, advocacy talks and call to action by women’s rights and other human rights campaigners with the goal of preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all its forms.
Baryoh further explained that the Human Rights Commission used to have only one staff at the Gender Unit but that with the establishment of a Directorate it will now have to capacitate it enough to focus on the delicate human rights issues surrounding women and girls.
The commission said as part of their commemoration during the course of the next two weeks, they will embark on awareness raising and sensitization on the protection of women and girls against sexual and gender based violence. Baryoh said they intend to particularly engage two communities - Lumley and Waterloo.
The commemoration will be climaxed with a nationwide quiz and debate competition organized for schools in the Western Area. The quiz is scheduled for the 3rd of December and then the debate on December 6th, both on the topic: “Life Imprisonment deters Rape and Sexual Penetration.”
Last year’s 16 Days of Activism in Sierra Leone was dominated by cries and hues for stringent regulations on sexual based violence as the number of rape cases kept dominating the media.
This year the government has already passed an amended version of the Sexual Offences Act, which now prescribes stiffer penalties for rape convicts. But the new law didn’t come without a debate. The quiz and debate completion are a continuation of this national debate.
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