Dr. Isata Mahoi, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, is a round peg in a round hole. She has over 20 years of research experience in gender inclusion and women’s empowerment, social risk management, monitoring and evaluation, peace, and reconciliatory processes. Dr. Mahoi, who was an active civil society advocate and lecturer before her appointment as a minister in 2023, has expectedly been effectively piloting the affairs of the Ministry. In this interview, she highlights the efforts towards the implementation of policies and laws meant to promote the interests of women and children in Sierra Leone.
How well is the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs executing its mandate to develop, implement, and monitor policies and laws relating to women and children?
The Government of Sierra Leone has acceded to many international and regional frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (also known as the Maputo Protocol on Women), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), etc. The government has aligned its national policies and laws on women and children through domestication.
The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs has facilitated the development of sound policies and laws on women and children for their protection, rights, and welfare without discrimination. We have also put in place several operational measures to ensure full implementation of policies and laws on women and children.
Sierra Leone is among the first countries in Africa to have the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act. How would you describe the outcome so far?
The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022 has made a quantum leap of progress in the overall empowerment of women in Sierra Leone from the political, social, and economic spheres of life. It has recorded a monumental increase in the number of females in Parliament, from 18 in the 5th Parliament to 42 in the 6th Parliament; local councillors, from 19 percent in 2018 to 34 percent in 2023; cabinet ministers, from 15 percent to 34.5 percent in 2023; and deputy ministers, to 33 percent. Other key appointments are taking into account the GEWE Act to ensure the minimum of 30 percent representation of women.
On social empowerment, maternity leave has been extended from 12 weeks to 14 weeks. The law prohibits discrimination in the workplace and prohibits sexual harassment and dismissal as a result of pregnancy. Implementation and enforcement have commenced.
On the whole, the GEWE Act has made significant inroads in addressing the gender imbalances. Today, most ministries have set up Gender Units to undertake gender mainstreaming and collect gender and sex disaggregated data to inform policy and decision-making.
What steps has the government taken to address women’s access to credit?
The Government of Sierra Leone has taken a number of concrete steps and measures to ensure women’s access to finance and credit. The GEWE Act 2022 mandates women’s access to finance, financial services, and products. The Bank of Sierra Leone developed the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2022-2026 with most of the activities relating to women’s economic empowerment. The Government of Sierra Leone had launched the MUNAFA Funds, and over 70 percent of the beneficiaries are females. The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, in partnership with UN Women and CARE International, provided skills enhancement, machinery, and loans to women in Falaba District. Several other initiatives, including the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), by microfinance institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are yielding dividends.
How does the Ministry combat sexual and gender-based violence?
Addressing sexual and gender-based violence requires a multi-sectoral approach, and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs provides overall coordination. To combat it, the government of Sierra Leone has put in place some measures. One of such measures is the strengthening of the sexual offences law. Currently, efforts are being intensified towards reviewing the Child Rights Act 2007 to ensure we strengthen the child protection system and continuum of care for our children. Cabinet has approved the Child Rights Bill 2024.
Additionally, the government has established One Stop Centres in districts where Rainbo Centres are not located to provide free and comprehensive services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence who are mostly children.
The government has equally developed several strategies, including the Male Involvement Strategy to prevent sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, in collaboration with our partners, has officially launched the revised National Referral Protocol (NRP) on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV 2024). This vital initiative aims to address the increasing incidents of SGBV, including school-related violence, in Sierra Leone.
Despite our collective efforts and progress, the fight against SGBV is far from over. The NRP establishes a clear referral pathway for reporting and service provision, emphasising the importance of a coordinated, survivor-centred approach.
We have equally set up a free toll line 116 to report and access services for SGBV. The establishment of the Sexual Offences Model Court is meant to fast-track cases of SGBV.
Sierra Leone is using the primero as a case management tool. We have the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) and the Gender-Based Information Management System (GBVIMS). When Sierra Leone saw the opportunity for the rollout of the GBVIMS in a non-humanitarian setting, we presented ourselves. It provides real time case management and data generation. Sierra Leone is the first country in the world to rollout GBVIMS+ in a non-humanitarian setting, and we are making progress.
Sierra Leone recently launched a national action plan against trafficking in persons. Will this help to combat trafficking in persons, especially women and children?
The National Action Plan will help combat trafficking in persons, especially women and children. It will serve as a key document for the full implementation of the Anti-Human Trafficking, Smuggling and Migrant Act 2022. Women and children often face the brunt of this unfortunate situation, and therefore the Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, with supervision from the Ministry of Social Welfare, will serve as a hub in bringing all relevant actors together to address this issue.
How will the Ministry ensure that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Law recently endorsed by the President protects young girls from early marriages and tackles educational barriers?
The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs will collaborate with relevant line ministries, departments, agencies, and partners to, in the first place, roll out the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 across the country. Once the law is popularised, the Ministry will monitor its implementation and enforcement to ensure citizens are in compliance and end this harmful practice.
The government is aware of the fact that there is a nexus between child and early marriage and adolescent pregnancy, which otherwise impacts on the girl child’s education. The law will be implemented in tandem with the National Strategy for the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy and Child Marriage 2024-2028.