Women want compensation for SGBV survivors

As rape and sexual abuse cases ore on the increase in most parts of the country especially in the Western Area which recorded high rape cases last year, women of Sierra Leone are calling on the county’s leaders to develop policy guidelines on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and to compensate the survivors of these abuses.

This was disclosed at a one day forum organized by One Family People [OFP] on Friday, February 14 at Milton Margai School for the Blind.

Deliberating on the theme “One billion people rising for justice as one in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her life time”, the Chairman for the occasion, Aunty Gloria, a human rights worker attached at the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, expressed delight because the programme was dedicated to the vulnerable group involving the physically challenged and visually impaired.

She disclosed that her unit in the Human Rights Commission’s office deals with matters that have to do with women, children and people with disabilities.

She emphasized that disabled people have experienced a lot of discrimination in this country, more especially in schools and the work places where they have been stigmatized by their colleagues and friends.

She told the vulnerable people that the Human Rights Commission recognizes that they have rights to quality education and to live like any decent human being on earth.

She assured the gathering that they will always stand to advocate for the rights of women, children and disabled people.

In her deliberation, the newly appointed Head of Family Support Unit in the Sierra Leone Police, Miss Maria Kamara, described the programme as designed and not an accident.

She disclosed that the Government of Sierra Leone and people in authority have heard the voices of vulnerable the groups and that they were fighting to make the issue of violence among women a thing of the past.

She emphasized that sexual abuse cases against women and girls is a serious issue for any meaningful Sierra Leonean.

Given statistics of cases of sexual violation and harassment among women and Children, she disclosed that the Western Area which has the highest number of cases recorded 597 rape cases in 2012 and 656 in 2013; the Southern Province with the second highest number of rape cases recorded 150 cases in 2012 and 343 in 2013; the Eastern Province recorded 135 cases in 2012 and 207 in 2013; while the Northern Province recorded 110 cases in 2012 and 211 cases in 2013.

She acknowledged that rape is on the increase across the country, a situation she described as very disturbing.

She however she maintained that a lot of efforts have been made by Government by enacting the Child Right Act, the Gender and Sexual Offences Act to arrest the situation.

She stressed that under her tenure she will work hard to put the menace under control.

In his comments, Mr. Sullaiman Jabatie noted that one in any three women on earth faces the possibility of either being raped or beaten by a man in her lifetime.

He explained that since the programme calls for men to protect women against rape and sexual related issues they were ready to join the world in celebrating this day.

Representing the V. Girls Sierra Leone, Miss Kadiatu Diallo thanked organizers for making the event successful.

She further explained that in 1998 on Valentines Day, a group of women established the V. Day in the United Kingdom to celebrate women and condemn violence against women.

She elaborated that the V. Day was formed with the objective to name the violators of women and girls and seek justice on behalf of the violated women and girls.

She maintained they have been working with men to stand up for women’s rights but now they are encouraging women to be independent and fight for themselves.

She called on the country’s leaders to develop a very strong policy on this menace and compensate the survivors of these abuses.

Talking on behalf the physically challenged, Madam Lamrana from Grafton village, encouraged her disabled colleagues that all is not lost and that they should resist temptations from men and pursue meaningful and respectable skills that will benefit them.

By Abdulai Mento Kamara

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