By Mabinty M. Kamara
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday officially launched a new gender policy, designed to serve as a reference point for addressing gender issues, including inequalities, in Sierra Leone.
The objective of the document, according to officials, is to mainstream gender into all the national sectorial and local policy plans, budgets and programmes, to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of development in the country.
The new policy will serve as a blueprint for strategies and initiatives to combat Sexual and Gender Based Violence and as a road map for achieving equal treatment of men and women, among others.
During the launch of the document at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, President Bio noted that women’s issues were matters of his heart, adding that women were true partners in development if they are trusted.
“My commitment to women started even before I was able to enter the office of the presidency, when I had the opportunity to choose a running mate. On the very first instance, my running mate was a woman. That was a choice left entirely to me. And I argue and I still believe that women can be part of leadership. I remember being asked severally why I chose a woman, ass that was politically risky in this country. But I can take any risk for women,” he said.
He added: “We are here this morning to set ourselves new challenges that will touch and transform the lives of 52% of our population. It will place them where they belong, at the centre of our nation’s development process with all due rights, access, opportunities, and resources. We are not about to witness history but, we are making history.”
President Bio went on to highlight strives made by his administration to ensuring a free and conducive environment for women to strive and live in dignity. He, however, admonished women not to relent but to continue pushing for their rightful place in society, whiles calling on men to continue to support the women, noting that 2020 was a pivotal year for gender equality and Women’s empowerment.
Ambassador of Ireland to Sierra Leone, Lesley Ní Bhriain, commended the leadership of President Bio for their efforts in making sure that women and girls live in a conducive environment. She said that she was delighted to join the government of Sierra Leone in the launching of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy 2020, noting that the development was at the heart of her embassy in Sierra Leone and the government of Ireland, whose desire is for an increase in women’s participation in politics and decision making.
She called on the Sierra Leone government to ensure the effective implementation of the policy, to serve its intended purpose.
Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Manti Tarawally, said the Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy was aimed at mainstreaming gender into all development and the political processes in Sierra Leone and to ensure livelihood and social protection for women, men, boys and girls for sustainable peace and economic growth.
“The policy analyses the current situation of women in Sierra Leone from a gender perspective. It further provides broad and specific objectives to ensure the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment; and to articulate the strategic and institutional framework to ensure effective implementation,” she noted in a statement.
Country Representative of UN Women, Dr Mary Okumu, described the launch of the gender equality policy as an “incredible” development, noting that it would promote the consolidation of peace and equal participation of women and girls.
Dr Okumu said that Sierra Leone has recently achieved a number of indicators of progress in the quest of favorable environment for women and girls that would increase their participation, not only in politics but also in every sphere of development in the country.
“We commend the government of the Republic of Sierra Leone, through the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs. Thank you for having a standalone ministry of gender and children’s affairs. We are now having a kind of silence breaking about the violation that women and girls experience. The breaking of that silence means that they can speak freely now and share and report any act of violence,” she said.
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