By Mabinty M. Kamara
President Julius Maada Bio has called on parents and guidance to support government’s effort in the fight against rape, early marriage and other forms of violence against women and girls in Sierra Leone.
“Rape is unacceptable because it is about the future of our children. The parents and communities need to stand up because it is better to work towards prevention. Parents should be attentive to raising our children. There is need for a multispectral approach and coordination to get rid of impunity,” he said at a high-level stakeholder meeting hosted at state house last week.
The President said that it was the responsibility of government to protect the lives of everyone, noting that that could only be achieved with the involvement of parents and members of the community.
Bio added that there was need to end all harmful practices that were affecting the growth of women and girls in the country. He used the occasion to commend the Rainbow Initiative, a charity that have been championing the medical and psycho-social support to rape survivors, for their tenacity in doing a very difficult job and for standing for survivors of rape and sexual violence.
President Bio warned that statistics around rape in the country were grim, noting that that was why he declared a national emergency on rape and sexual violence in February 2019.
In her statement, the First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, said that the meeting was to brief the President on the task given to them regarding the “Hands off Our Girls” campaign and how they could find solution in dealing with rape, teenage pregnancy and early marriage in the country. She noted that they had gone right across the country to engage relevant stakeholders and to raise awareness about the dangers of rape and sexual violence against women and girls. She also said that since the launch of the Hands Off Our Girls, they had achieved a lot but would still need the cooperation of everyone if they were to achieve their goals.
In his statement, the Executive Director of Rainbow Initiative, Daniel Kettor, said that there had been lack of support from the community to survivors, noting that that was affecting the fight against rape. He recommended for the acceleration of One-Stop Centers, assigning of medical staff to those centers and establishing of more safe homes across the country to minimize the rate at which society and parents compromised rape.
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