By Alusine Fullah

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the Unite Nations together with the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs visited Fourah Bay College and made a thrilling discussion on women empowerment and gender based violence issues. In her introduction, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke about his life struggle by explaining how she managed to move from grass to grace. Having noted that, Amb. Greenfield motivated the women of Sierra Leone to always be bold and be confident in whatever they do. She said: “Women are very crucial in every society. As a woman you have to be confident and be bold in the pursuit of your careers. As an Ambassador, I am working very hard for gender parity and violence against women in the content of Africa…”

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender And Children’s Affairs, Dr. Isata Mahoi, recently showcased her commitment to advancing gender issues, serving as one of the motivators in this event, Madam Minister has dedicated and pledged to the cause of fighting gender inequality. She said: “My body, my right. Together we will end violence against women and children…what men can do women can do better…”

Dr. Mahoi also spoke about government’s readiness in the fight against gender equality in Sierra Leone. In nexus to that, she made reference to the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE) that was passed into law in 2023. She said: “The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE) is a monumental advancement for gender equality in Sierra Leone, a country ranked 181 out of 191 countries in the United Nations Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index. The law enshrines improvements to women’s access to finance, employment opportunities, equal pay, maternity leave, and–critically–political representation. GEWE establishes a 30 percent quota for women’s participation in government for both appointed positions, including cabinet, ministry, and ambassador roles, and elected positions, such as parliamentary and local council seats…I want to assure you that President Bio’s government is very determined in breaking all barriers against women in Sierra Leone…”

Globally, some progress on women’s rights has been achieved. However, work still needs to be done in Sierra Leone to achieve gender equality. Meanwhile, many areas – such as gender and poverty, physical and sexual harassment, women’s access to assets (including land), and gender and the environment should be highly taken into consideration. Closing these gender data gaps is essential for achieving gender-related SDG commitments in Sierra Leone.