By Mohamed T Massaquoi
The International Women’s Day was celebrated globally on Tuesday 8 March but some civil society organisations have raised concerns about government’s commitment to meeting the needs of women.
They cited as proofs of their claims the deteriorating conditions of women in the district in general, as well as government’s indifference to their plight in terms of tackling domestic and other gender-based violence.
Mohamed Kallon, who works for Health for All Coalition, said despite being a signatory to the Maputo Protocol, Sierra Leone was yet to address the issues around women. He said the country’s women, especially in Pujehun District in the south, were suffering “from sexual violations, teenage pregnancy, lack of job opportunities which further place them in vulnerable situation”.
Kallon said all that had happened while the state had failed to provide justice for women in the district.
“Our state authorities have been doing nothing to address the menace,” he said, adding that: “to support women is not by magic but a collective effort, matched with willingness. I blame the condition of women on bad political practice,culture, and personal interests”.
The International Women’s Day has been used to raise awareness on women’s issues, cultivate respect, appreciation, and love for their economic, political, and social achievements. But in some countries achievement among women is still a dream.
Ibrahim Swaray, chairman of the Pujehun District Civil Society Coalition, shared similar feelings.
“There is no need for us to celebrate International Women's Day in Pujehun as a district because we do not believe in empowering them," he said. He claimed that the people of the district did not appear to believe in justice for women, which was the reason for the continued absence of a sitting magistrate, a situation that had led to high prevalence of sexual violence.
Swaray said: “Marginalization of women in all spheres of life in the district is clearly seen from the council and parliamentary elections as no support is ever given to them.”
He observed that in the district council with 22 councilors, they had only one woman. Swaray alleged that on several occasions there had been reports detailing the “gang rape” of women in the district and nothing had come out of it in terms of justice.
Pujehun played host to the 2013 International Women's Day celebrations where President Ernest Bai Koroma declared that subsequent commemorations would be celebrated with a public holiday.
At that occasion, the president notably said: “In my leadership as the president of the Republic of SierraLeone I am going to stand strongly together with my government officials to see that the issue of women especially violations against them, is properly addressed because Sierra Leone will never develop if
women do not play critical roles in the development process.”
But activists said that those pronouncements had hardly reflected on the women of Pujehun.
(C) Politico 10/03/16
