FDID project report
Foundation for Democratic Initiatives and Development (FDID) poised to address the complex health and safety needs of commercial sex workers in Sierra Leone in general and Freetown in particular has again engaged sixty (60) sex workers in the Murray town community of Freetown on the 18th of February 2014 in a one day seminal. This meeting was held at the Murray town community hall and it attracted stake holders from the community. Five (5) police personnel including managers attached to the family support units at the Murray town police post and the Congo cross police station were also in attendance. Eight (8) ward committee members and thirty five (35) male youths predominantly from the community also attended this one day seminal.
Miss Millicent Yama Fonnie Gender and advocacy officer at FDID welcomed all and sundry into the meeting. She thanked everybody for being present at that meeting and admonished them to be very attentive and participatory. In his opening remarks, the chairman of the meeting who happens to be the Director of FDID Hindowa E. Saidu pleaded with stake holders especially the police to make sure that the Human Rights of sex workers should not be trampled upon. He pointed out that sex workers MUST be protected from all kinds of violence from perpetrators within and without the community. Finally he said that sex work if not properly handled by the authorities concerned will impact negatively on the fight against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.
A cross section of participants at the work shop)
Mr Habib T. Kamara and Lloyd H. Jusu Esq facilitated the entire meeting which was highly participatory. They encouraged sex workers to inculcate the habit of using condoms and also impressed on their minds to be regularly going to seek medical attention at the various community health posts. At the end of the meeting everybody present made an undertaken not to discriminate against sex workers within or without the Murray Town community. Female and male condoms were being supplied to all and sundry to climax the occasion.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Memuna Kamara a sex worker that resides in this same community. She thanked FDID for such a brilliant project in trying to secure their lives. She further pleaded with other members of the community to show some understanding and respect for their Human Right. We are humans and members of this community and therefore other members of our community should not look low upon us because of what we do she lamented. In spite of what we do we are all humans and therefore should live as a community she concluded”.
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