The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MGCA), in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady, on Saturday 25th November 2023, officially launched the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at the Freetown City Council Hall on Lightfoot Boston Street in Freetown.
The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Unite! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.’
Other partners for the event are UNFPA, Irish Aid, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNWOMEN and Care.
In her keynote address and officially launching the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, the First Lady, Dr Fatima Bio, articulated that the day is special and that the future is bright for Sierra Leonean women, acclaiming the MGCA for its commitment and dedication to the campaign, that this year, the 16 days of activism started earlier and that she is fascinated by this year’s theme.
She also underscored that if all are in the campaign together, the world would listen, and catalogued some of the progress made so far, including sweeping reforms, the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign, the government’s declaration of a state of emergency on rape, resulting in penalties for perpetrators being reviewed, that the Ministry of GCA has been separated from Social Welfare, adding that the government’s flagship project, the Free Quality Education, is progressing well and also that infant and maternal mortality has reduced by 60%, that the Sexual Offences Act has been reviewed, that girls now top public examinations, the free distribution of sanitary pads and scholarships to girls offering the sciences and engineering.
The First Lady continued that other successes are the appointments of more female Ministers and the election of female Members of Parliament, observing that although women are considered weak and inferior, they shall overcome. She appealed to all to adopt new strategies to build on the successes made over the years.
The First Lady also spoke about the launch of the Real Men Champions and called on campaigners not to operate in silos, but to build and strengthen relationships, both locally and internationally, as well as make solid investments to protect women and girls, not only in Sierra Leone but worldwide.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the MGCA, Mrs Zainab Buya-Kamara, introduced the Chairperson for the event, Dr Aisha Fofanah-Ibrahim, who asserted that the day marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, noting that so much is being done to curb GBV, and observed that campaigners are using the feminist lens to address the issue, and more needs to be done to address the root causes of GBV, adding that a lot of work and investments must be put in the fight against GBV.
Dr Aisha Fofanah-Ibrahim also commended the First Lady for her invaluable support of the campaign and observed that it is important to acknowledge her work, that we must not be complacent, hold the state accountable and take a holistic approach to the issues.
In her statement, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr Isata Mahoi, revealed that the event is to launch the public campaign to kick-start the 16 days of activism against GBV and that this year’s campaign has a global theme, that GBV is preventable, disclosing that Sierra Leone has taken steps to address the issue and signed several international treaties and domesticated others, citing achievements like the Sexual Offences Model Court and the One Stop Center, all of which, she noted, are significant milestones to end violence against women and children.
She further underscored that GBV is unacceptable, assuring that campaigners can end it if they forget about the politics and work together, reiterating that concrete steps must be taken to protect survivors and that this year, the campaign would be taken to communities, the ‘Sowies’ and traditional leaders. She commended development partners and the First Lady for their invaluable support and appealed to all to come on board the campaign, strengthen preventive measures and be catalysts for change.
In his PowerPoint presentation on the Situational Context of GBV, Progress and Challenges, Mr Charles Vandy, Deputy Chief Director, MGCA, highlighted some of their achievements, such as the enactment of the 2020 Sexual Offences Act, development of the Male Involvement Strategy and the GBV Integrated Management System, but observed that domestic violence is on the increase, while sexual offences are decreasing.
He added that in 2019 they recorded one of the highest cases of GBV, and appealed to all to put a premium on peer sex, intimating that parents are no longer taking care of their children.
Mr Vandy also called for sustained practical will and commitment, that survivors have confidence in the system due to an increase in reported cases, that there has been an increase in the conviction rate, and highlighted some of their challenges, such as the absence of a forensic laboratory, strong specific technical support, fragmented data from partners, inadequate medical supplies, lack of logistics and coordination of comprehensive services on GBV.
The Minister of Sports, Mrs Augusta James-Taimeh, revealed that there is more violence in sports than elsewhere because there are few women in sports, that violence against women and girls cannot be overestimated, that violence is psychological, economic and physical, and commended the President and First Lady for their support, asserting that violence is not only at home but in all spheres of life.
The representative of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation assured of more medical supplies to victims and a forensic laboratory.
The Head of the European Union Delegation acclaimed the government for efforts made to end GBV against women and girls, adding that people must use the 16 days of activism to orange the world, and lauded the First Lady for creating the space for victims’ voices to be heard.
The Irish Ambassador noted that early child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early pregnancy are still challenges.
The representative of United Nations Resident Representative intimated that 90% of all rape cases happen to girls before they reach the age of 18, and called for increased investments to scale up the campaign on Hands Off Our Girls, adding that there is a need to strengthen the Police Family Support Unit and that Sierra Leone has done more to fight GBV, although there is need to do more, and condemned in no uncertain terms sex for grades in colleges and universities.
A statement was also made by the representative of the Community of Practice.
Highlights of the well-attended program were the PowerPoint presentation by Mr Charles Vandy, Deputy Chief Director, MGCA, a documentary about GBV, stories from survivors and the skit performance titled ‘Breaking the Silence.’
The vote of thanks was rendered by Goodie Sowonie of MGCA, who disclosed that more activities have been lined up to observe the 16 Days of Activism.
