Excellency, USG Guy Ryder,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be in this important company of champions for gender equality, and to deliver this keynote address. I bring you warm greetings from the Government of Sierra Leone, led by the indefatigable gender champion, the President His Excellency Brig. (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, and the people of Sierra Leone.
Let me, on behalf of Sierra Leone, thank the organizers of today’s event for inviting me to share our remarkable journey and transformational progress. I am truly honoured to be here, as the subject for our consideration is dear and close to my heart.
Admittedly, our world is faced with multiple challenges. This period is referred to as one of polycrisis. In such a period where devastating conflicts, famine, and the adverse effects of Climate Change inundate us, and capture global attention, we tend to see decline in our progressive march on gender equality, the women, peace and security agenda, and the protection of children. Worse, we see the reinforcement of the backlash wrapped in many euphemisms.
Instead of action to address the disparities and gender discrimination that persist in law, in line with SDGs, Goals 5 and 16, we also tend to see at best reprioritization of issues. Indeed, instead of taking a hard look at our laws to address gender discrimination, the multiple challenges tend to exacerbate discrimination. Despite the progress we have made collectively, the global assessment paints a worisome picture.
I, however, bring you good news from Sierra Leone. As you may know, SDG 16 is one of our accelerator goals. Having a peaceful and just society is an enable for the achievement of the other SDGs. But can we achieve peace and justice when we discriminate against women and girls in our societies, whether by law or other non-formal norms? The answer from Sierra Leone is a resounding no.
We believe, and I am sure you all share the same sentiment, that gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development. Since women and girls represent half of the world’s population, and consequently, half of its potential, ending discrimination and empowering women spurs productivity and economic growth. This is why in Sierra Leone, the policy and actions are pursued not only to address gender discrimination, but also to empower, and we do so radically – hence the policy of radical inclusion.
From a personal perspective, as a mother, a wife, a sister and First Lady, protecting and promoting the rights of all women and girls is not only very near and dear to my heart, but a mission. It is a calling and a cause. I consider myself blessed to have a President and Husband, who is a gender champion, and understands the mission, calling and cause. With his vision and leadership, and whole of government approach, we have and will continue to demonstrate the unwavering commitment and political will to empower and advance women and girls no matter where they find themselves.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have only seven minutes, certainly not enough time to share all the important work we have done since 2018, when His Excellency President Bio was first elected by the people of Sierra Leone, and the launch of my flagship “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign. It is in that campaign that I embarked on a transformative journey to empower girls and women in Sierra Leone, instilling in them a sense of self-worth, self-care, and the courage to stand against abuse, confident in the protective embrace of the legal system.
Since 2018, Sierra Leone has pursued an ever daring, ambitious but absolutely necessary agenda to promote and advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. This includes the holistic approach to address sexual and gender-based violence. This is based on the ardent belief in an inclusive and just society where the demographic share of the population is reflected in rights and opportunities.
In a steadfast commitment to prioritize gender issues, President Bio declared a national emergency on rape, leading to the amendment of the Sexual Offences Act in 2021. A stand-alone Ministry of Gender was established in the same year, and this was followed by the enactment of the watershed and transformative Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022 (“GEWE Act”).
The GEWE Act represents a monumental milestone in ensuring increase representation, empowerment, and participation of women in all spheres of society in Sierra Leone. The ground-breaking legislation seeks to address gender imbalance requiring at least 30% representation in cabinet, parliament, ambassadors/high commissioners, local councils, civil service, and private institutions with more than 25 employees. It further provides for financial inclusion, gender responsive and gender sensitive government budgeting.
The impact since the enactment has been immediate. Currently, women comprise 30% of elected members of Parliament; 34.5% of ministers and 33% deputy ministers. 41% of elected mayors or chairpersons are women, as well as 34% of elected councilors in local councils. It is important to note that the GEWE Act builds on prior gender legislations including: the Domestic Violence Act; the Devolution of Estates Act; and the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act.
The GEWE Act is indeed transformative. However, it is not the panacea to all of the challenges to achieving both SDGs 5 and 16. However, as part of that commitment, and as a champion for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls, we recognized that child marriage continues to deny girls’ fundamental rights. On the basis of the holistic approach, we remained resolute to end the menace of child marriage.
It, therefore, gives me the great pleasure to state that another historic legislation, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, was signed into law His Excellency, President Bio on 2nd July 2024, 9 days ago. This law prohibits marriage under the age of 18, regardless of whether the marriage is administered under formal, customary, or religious law. This is in line with our commitment to eliminate child, early, and forced marriage by 2030, to attain SDG targets 5.3 and 16.1.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
As a State, Sierra Leone has come a long way, in a very short period. However, our job is not yet done. It will require a lot to dismantle the centuries of legal and non-formal gender discrimination. We acknowledge that laws alone cannot be the solution. But they are an important part of context-specific, gender-transformative approaches to promote girls’ human rights.
It is imperative that laws are accompanied by investment in gender-equitable public services, employment and economic opportunities, action on ending poverty, addressing Climate Change, and the transformation of discriminatory social norms, attitudes and behaviours.
Importantly, the wheels are turning in Sierra Leone, and we are transforming this into global leadership. Sierra Leone has led and built coalitions, acting as main sponsor, in the UN General Assembly adopting three resolutions on “International cooperation on access to justice for survivors of sexual violence”, “Addressing the Situation of Widows”, and declaring a “World Day for the Prevention of, and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence”.
In closing, let me acknowledge the importance of partnerships. Partnership between governments, government with international organizations and civil society. As a collective, we have made commendable strides and accomplished a lot. But, we have more to do. Therefore, let us continue in this right path, to dismantle gender discriminatory laws, and create the next generation of empowered girls and women through education and justice for all. Let us remain united to transform our world, to the world we want – free from discrimination, peaceful and just.
Thank you.
