By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs, Mustapha Bai Attilla, has called on the country’s women to empower themselves economically and socially as that would make them independent.
He was speaking at a symposium organized by Sierra Leonean women in the media (WIMSAL) to commemorate International Women’s Day.
This year`s commemoration was held on the Theme: ‘Make it Happen-enforce Sexual Offences Act, review 1861 abortion law, stop early marriage and rape.’
Attilla said most cases of sexual and gender-based violence were not going to court because women sometimes beg for their perpetrators to be pardoned. This, he said, was so because most women were dependent on their husbands and they were sometimes weighed down by the fear of a divorce or desertion by the husband after the case. He said empowerment would be the best gain for women as they would be able to take care of themselves and their families if they were eventually deserted by their men.
He said women were not getting the justice they deserved because they were still hanging on to the theory that ‘behind every successful man there is a woman’.
“We should upgrade and always bear in mind that women are no longer meant to be at the back but beside men,” the minister said.
As much as the were against perpetrators of SGBV, the minister explained, they as a government could not tackle the problem alone. He called on the media, judiciary and women themselves to do more about the issue. He assured that the government would review the 1861 abortion law and enact the gender equality bill soon.
WIMSAL president, Asmaa James, stated that her organization was concerned about issues pertaining to the sexual and reproductive health of women and urged the government to fast track the review of sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person’s Act of 1861. Though she considered the passage of the Sexual Offences Act, 2012 as a bold step in the right direction, James noted that incidents of early marriage and sexual violence were still happening at a disturbing rate in the country. She compared the issue as a bridge that was yet to be crossed.
Mrs James cited part of the police crime statistics for 2014 which states that a total number of 11, 358 incidents of SGBV cases were reported across the country. But convictions were reached for only 2 percent of these cases, according to a statement by the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law.
Country Director of IPAS, Valerie Tucker, promised that her organization would never rest until the country’s 1861 abortion law was reviewed. As much as religious leaders were against it, Tucker said, advocating for women’s reproductive health was her job and she would continue to do it without regrets.
“Women have a right to decisions relating to their reproductive health because their bodies are theirs,” she said.
She said it was a punishment enough for a woman to be raped and impregnated against her will and even worse to raise the child of a rapist. Tucker said there were also health conditions that could also require a pregnancy to be terminated but that authorities sometimes overlooked them.
She said the strict laws on abortion were responsible for the numerous teenage pregnancies in the country and added that it could also be responsible for the hike in maternal mortality rate.
The IPAS boss called on the education ministry to include sex education into the schools’ curriculum so that children could learn how to protect themselves against SGBV.
Head of the Family Support Unit in the Sierra Leone Police, Mira Koroma, whiles noting that there was hardly anything to celebrate about where women were concerned, said that was explained by the increase in the number of SGBV cases over the years. She however said that she was ready to work and ensure that perpetrators of SGBV were dealt with accordingly.
“As for I and my FSU staff, we don’t compromise and I personally deal with any officer that is suspected of compromise,” she assured, observing that the country was more proactive than reactive when it comes to matters of SGBV.
© Politico 16/03/15
