By Mohamed T. Massaquoi in Pujehun
President Ernest Bai Koroma has said that "Sierra Leone will never develop if women do not play critical roles in the development process". He warned law enforcement officers who "compromise cases of abuse against women and girls to desist".
Addressing a public ceremony to mark International Women's Day in Pujehun, Koroma outlined efforts he made recently in Nigeria to recruit magistrates and science teachers to serve in Sierra Leone and announced that females who study engineering would receive a scholarship.
Earlier the Access to Justice Manager at the International Rescue Committee, IRC, Kadiatu Bachalle Taylor told the gathering that domestic violence against women was on the increase. She said statistics from the Family Support Unit indicated a five percent rise in reported cases in 2013. She said there were only 44 Family Support Units in the whole of Sierra Leone and called on the Ministry of Social Welfare to pay more attention to abuses against women which she argued "is impeding the development of the country".
Bachalle-Taylor told the ceremony that a 2010 study revealed that 30% of cases reported to the FSU were school-related sexual exploitation matters with teachers who "coerce girls into sexual act in exchange for better grades, gifts and money" being the main culprits.
The head girl of Holy Rosary Secondary School Pujehun, Rugiatu Barrie mentioned a number of attacks and killings of young girls that had recently taken place in the district and asked rather rhetorically, "why always women?" She called on the government to "act now".
She urged the government to make "timely payments of school fees and public examination fees for girls in junior secondary school and provide constant electricity to Radio Wanjei so that they can champion the fight against violence against women and girls".
Gender Affairs minister, Moijueh Kaikai announced that his ministry would now "deal firmly with anyone abusing women throughout the country".
The occasion was chaired by Sunkarie Kamara, the Mayor of Makeni.
(C) Politico 11/03/14
