Ismail Kamara is a Mass Communications student at Fourah Bay College University of Sierra Leone who attended the launch event. How do we provide more awareness to forms of silent and normalized oppression? The term intersectionality as stated by Susanne Hochreiter offers a way to understand the multiple grounds of identity when considering how the social world is constructed. The country had been recovering from an 11-year war, which destroyed infrastructure and basic social services, when it was hit by an Ebola outbreak in 2014. Moreover, women of reproductive age (15-49 years) often face barriers with respect to their sexual and reproductive health and rights: in 2019, 53% of women had their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods. Gender-based violence in or around schools continues to be a serious and pressing problem in Sierra Leone that necessitates greater attention. All of the groups fighting in the civil war that happened between 1991 and 2002 were charged with human rights violations (Ben-Ari & Harsch). 29.6% of women aged 2024 years old who were married or in a union before age 18. The Sierra Leone Parliament is set to host the HeForShe National Secretariat and hosting further sensitization activities in the provinces. http://org.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/faculty/hjelmgren/africa09proj3lev.html. In other words, should male and female be treated in the same way? No one is exactly like another human on this planet. New York: United Nations Development Programme. However, equality is not a right everyone in the world has, some need to earn it and some already have it. She added that, gender inequality is a global concern and Sierra Leone is not an exception. In Sierra Leone, roles, responsibilities and opportunities are apportioned on the basis that an individual is a male or female. Since social norms has contributed to the definition of appropriate lifestyle through parenthood, childlessness in women was seen as a deviant from society, which further led to disconnection between parents and childfree women in many contexts. To accomplish this, the . Collier, P. (2000a). In Figure 2, they are shown in the center of the triangle that leads up to . Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. The interests of the government in gaining political power over the best national economic interests meant practices such as rent-seeking were prioritised, another opportunity for rife corruption. The essay will be concluded by a concise and critical assessment of the reasons behind the continuing existence of poverty and inequality in Sierra Leone. Women now make up over 40 percent of the global labour force. The dominance of an agricultural based economy highlighted previously, was reverted to after independence, due to an imperial economic structure built only to benefit the colonial power and not to sustain future growth. Sierra Leone Telegraph: 8 August 2022: After sixty years of procrastination, the Parliament of Sierra Leone has today passed into law "The Customary Land Rights Act 2022", which the government says will address deep inequalities and discrimination in the ownership and control of land, especially in the provinces. However like many other countries, Sierra Leon is known for not providing these opportunities for girls. Promoting and protecting human rights requires considerable cultural fluency as UNFPA works in some of the most sensitive and intimate spheres of human existence, including sexuality, gender relations and population issues. The reasons for the continuing existence of poverty and inequality are highly complex and overlapping in nature. In Sierra Leone, schooling and literacy are something not all women are able to experience and accomplish. We work with local non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations and other development agencies ensuring multi-level coordination to help strengthen the implementation of existing legislation pertaining to gender equality. The third one of these goals is to promote gender equality and empower women (MDGs Sierra Leone). The idea of Gender Equality does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike. In Sierra Leone, progress has been made in expanding opportunities for women and girls to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! The current Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa has infected 27,237 peoplealmost exclusively in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leoneof whom 11,158 died. Inequality is state of being unequal, particularly in rights, status and opportunities (UN 2015) this could mean in living standards, gender and many other metrics. . However, the issue of gender inequality and its effects on educational opportunities still needs to be addressed. Gender equality is a term that is commonly misunderstood by many. She further stated that the transformation of the Act into reality is important owing to the fact that 87 percent of women in the country are more active in the workforce compared to the 75 percent men. If you are looking for current information, visit www.usaid.gov. Prohibiting women from going to school means prohibiting them from accomplishing their goals and becoming independent. Enduring Disorder and Persistent Poverty: A Review of the Linkages between War and Chronic Poverty , Peet, Richard. For example, if a man who was lazy and did somewhat of a decent job then he would most likely to be promoted, however if this was a woman then she would most likely not be promoted. Click here to access a PDF version of this article. The legacy of general liberal education under colonialism, whereby positions such as clerks needed to be filled by a literate individual perpetuates in the universal primary education of today where those rural unprivileged will maintain their place in poverty. The dominance of ruling class families meant chiefs received little competition and their guaranteed role for life meant they were at liberty to act despotically (Jackson and Rosberg 1982:17-19). Intersectionality explains why gender cannot be in isolation from other inequalities in the social world. The adolescent birth rate is 102 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 as of 2018, down from 139.4 per 1,000 in 2015. She noted that after the launching, Sierra Leone will be one of the countries with high interest in women economic empowerment and gender equality but calls on the people of Sierra Leone to increase the total number of female parliamentarians, Ministers and women in leadership positions. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: Stats SL and ICF. Boulder, CO: Lynne Reinner. The voices of Sierra Leonean women are ignored in the debate about their own sexual and reproductive health. Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh Signing the HeForShe Board. The death of a young woman in Sierra Leone, almost immediately after undergoing female genital mutilation, has sparked outrage and revived calls to end the practice.. This International Women's Day, we celebrate the icons who blazed the trail towards gender equality. Since then, considerable progress has been made in achieving universal primary education and closing the gender gap in enrollment. The Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality between women and men in three different dimensions: reproductive health (maternal . Sierra Leonean women are at risk for sexual and gender-based violence in the form of domestic violence, sexual assault of adults and minors, marital rape, school-related sexual abuse, and harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation. Freedom House gave Sudan the lowest possible ranking among repressive regimes during 2012. by Megan Borishansky Historical Background Colonized by the British as a territory for liberated slaves known as Creoles or "Krios", Sierra Leone's history is one of class divisions and gender inequality, compounded by the civil war of 1992-2002 and struggles over natural resources. The Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality . Closing these gender data gaps is essential for achieving gender-related SDG commitments in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone parliament has passed a long-awaited Gender Empowerment Act which establishes a minimum gender quota for female parliamentarians. There have been multiple attempts to create a more equal society and reduce the overwhelming amount of poverty in Sierra Leone, these have been sourced from institutions such as the World Bank, however it is debatable how true their impact has really been with their strong neoliberal bias. UN (2015) Concepts of Inequality, Devlopment Issues No.1, accessed at, Goodhand, J. Speakers, including members of parliament and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament expressed their belief that the HeForShe Campaign will serve as a stepping board in putting an end to gender inequality by 2030. According to The global gender gap index 2021, Iceland has the highest gender equality, indexed at 0.89 whereas the United Arab Emirates has the worst gender equality Ranked at 22. The estimated level of inequality in Sierra Leone is also lower than for many settlements of the same . In the modern century, for most countries around world it seemed that gender inequality is cruel and unreasonable, but countries in mid-Asia are exceptions. These factors are compounded by poverty, gender discrimination, long distances to schools, perceived low value placed on education, negative social norms practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM - 86.1 per cent), early marriage (30 per cent of women are married before age . Rape and sexual violence and abuse are no doubt one of the most obvious societal factors. Equality started a family with his beloved, The Golden One and lived happily ever after (Rand, n.pag.). I was never aware of the terrible conditions that migrant workers faced. Aldershot: Avebury. At the core of such violence is gender inequality that is pervasive in Sierra Leone society. School-related gender-based violence is part of a complex, multi-faceted social issue. In fact, in Sierra Leone, rape is extremely common and is considered a "societal norm" (US Department of . In 2018, 19.8% of women aged 15-49 years reported that they had been subject to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months. This situation is in turn perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and gender inequality from generation to generation. Access the executive summary of the report here and read their full report here. During the launch, the United Nations Residence Coordinator Sunil Saigal emphasized that the launch of the HeForShe Campaign is an important milestone on the journey towards the eradication all forms of discrimination, and gender-based violence, against women and girls. For each indicator, we calculate the 33rd and 66th percentiles of the distribution and, based on those two values, countries are classified as belonging to high performance, medium performance and low performance categories. In Ayn Rands novella Anthem, we are introduced to this society that has fallen back into the times of the Great Rebirth. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. This concentration upon English language proved to have no utility in problem solving tasks the rural community face, according to the experiment which Scriber and Cole carried out (1981), instead only advantaging those wealthy urban students who would gain return from utilising such verbal explanation. Though Sierra Leone global gender gap index fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to increase through 2018 - 2022 period ending at 0.67 index in 2022. Alternatively if they cannot work to the best of their abilities due to illness, they may not be able to earn money through subsistence. Chingono, M. (1996). On the legal basis for the GEWE Policy, the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone provides the foundation for the principles of gender equality. Women in Sierra Leone face all sorts of obstacles when it comes to setting up their own business. She further explained that Sierra Leone has a low gender inequality index value of 0.64 ranking. In Equalitys new world he will have complete freedom and no rules holding people back from learning and growing. Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) and ICF. Sierra Leone is deeply rooted in traditional attitudes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men (CEDAW, 2014); where decision-making rests with the men (fathers, husbands, brothers), including related to the health, well-being and overall welfare of women (FAO, n.d.). In urban contexts, women are carving paths to inclusion across . The Opening of a Ten Day Training for Officers on Gender by the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces Gender Unit. A combination of cultural prejudices and harsh economic realities join hands, in making life particularly difficult for our ladies. Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, the private sector and civil society were also in attendance. But now, new laws, like the three known as the Gender Bills (passed June 14, 2007), are being passed to put an end to domestic violence (Saunders). Almost 50% of Sierra Leonean females endure "sexual or physical violence during their lifetime." . Gender equality is globally the most common form of inequality and remains a major obstacle to the eradication of poverty. USAID helps empower women in Sierra Leone through continuous sensitization, training in leadership skills, advocacy and planning and entrepreneurship. Insecurity, infrastructural decay, low earning power, unemployment, a break-down of the health system, poor education, blatant gender inequalities and neglect of child welfare were among indicators of the civil war on society. This clearly determines the behavior of a man or woman in the society. This is because many indigenous groups and their practices still support the belief that men are superior to men (Sierra Leone). Women account for 52 percent of the total population in Sierra Leone yet occupy less than 20 percent of elected positions. Giving birth to a child should not drastically change the status of females. They currently they hold less than a seventh of the seats. Nafziger, E. W., & Auvinen, J. The divided country economically was also enhanced by the political structure of separate administrative systems during colonialism, which left rural areas with a very limited political voice. As of december 2020, only 41.7% of indicators needed to monitor the SDGs from a gender perspective were available, with gaps in key areas, in particular: unpaid care and domestic work and key labour market indicators, such as the gender pay gap. Female singer and womens activist Millicent Rhodes performed Sierra Leones HeForShe song. 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