The Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA) has trained 100 women and girls in Moyamba district. Their task is crucial: to monitor referral pathways in the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.
Often, rape and other forms of domestic violence in Sierra Leone go unreported because victims or survivors are afraid there will be repercussions from the perpetrators or they will be publicly stigmatized or discriminated against. The issue is a taboo, or it is culturally condoned and most times victims or survivors do not come forward for fear of being blamed for what has happened to them. Sometimes, their own family members do not believe them.
However the Sexual Offenses Act of 2012 has created the opportunity for victims or survivors to come forward and report their issues because it has stiffened penalties as a deterrent to potential perpetuators. Prior to the law the maximum penalty for rape was two years in prison, and perpetrators would often settle out of court. Now, however, convicted rapists can be sent to jail for up to 15 years and out-of-court settlements are not allowed.
The two-day capacity training of 100 women and girls in seven chiefdoms in the southern district aims to capacitate the trainees to monitor referral pathways as enshrined in the Sexual Offences Act 2012.
The training is a component of the project titled Empowerment of Women and Girls to access rights conferred in the Sexual Offenses Act and targeted women’s groups and girls, youth and disabled group, teachers, societal heads, women’s leaders, Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, farmers and businesswomen, the police Family Support Unit and Survivors or victims from Kamajei, Kombora, Ribbi and Bumpe, Dasse and Kori chiefdoms.
Funded by DFID, under its Access for Security and Justice Programme (ASJP), it took place at the Moyamba District Mini-Stadium Hall and at the Taiama Community Centre in Taiama on 11th and 12th October, 2013.
Giving the rationale for the training, Executive Director CCYA, Ngolo Katta said the training was exclusively for women and girls as there had been a series of activities that had been undertaken in the project targeting other members of the communities, to monitor the sexual offences in their various communities as indicated in the Sexual Offenses Act. He advised women to support each other to come out and report such abuses so that perpetuators would be severely punished.
Delivering a Statement on behalf of the police Family Support Unit, Eleanor Gendeh said that their role was to receive complaints of abuses from the public, investigate such complaints and, where possible, charge them to court. She also explained by giving practical examples when somebody reports a sexual offense, the steps to be taken in going to court, who to complain to and who not to interfere with the information. Questions, issues and concerns were raised by participants on the referral pathways
Consultant Patrick Zombo, explained line by line the simplified version of the Sexual Offenses Act which was distributed to all participants. He stressed that the first step to dealing with this “serious issue” in our society was for victims or survivors to make a report to with the police at the Family Support Unit in Moyamba. He said this had nothing to do with chiefs or community leaders. ]
After reporting, he went on, the victim would be given a medical report to go to the hospital for support and it would be of no cost because the law allowed for free medical for the victim. The matter after careful investigation, continued Zombo, would be charged to court and the victim would be supported during the proceedings and if the perpetuator was convicted she would get a jail term of not more than 15 years and will be liable to compensate the victim.
Participants then divided themselves into three groups comprising women, youth and students (girls) for group work/discussions on what they could do or wanted the Government and Police to do in implementing the law.
During the group reporting session most of the participants indicated that sexual offences were on the increase in Moyamba District and that it required serious considerations. This is more rampant in the rural communities and most often police presence was rare in those areas. They called for support for the police to be able to visit communities routinely. They also said that Moyamba district needed police prosecutors to help facilitate such cases to their logical conclusion.
© Politico 16/10/13
