allAfrica.com: Sierra Leone: Impact of Disunity Among Salone Women (Page 1 of 2)

Women in Sierra Leone have always worked in unison in their grief, pains and indignation. Many disappointments have been meted out to them by the society as a whole for decades gone by.

The struggle started since the days of Madam Yoko one of the founders of the controversial bondo society in Sierra Leone; Ella Koblo Gulama the first female paramount chief et al.

Apparently, the suffering exacerbated during the eleven years civil conflicts that visited Sierra Leone. On to this date, the situation of women has not gone any better. Women still suffer excruciating pains from the nefarious attitude of those they love, cared for and cherish- husbands or boyfriends.

Despite the cry by women organization to end violence against Sierra Leonean women, the fight is seemingly a fruitless journey because the situation seems to be worsening. But is it an aftermath of one of Africa's deadliest conflicts? I doubt it. Simply, I think it is because our male folks have identified our weaknesses as women and thus now play tricks on the disunity existing among Sierra Leonean women.

Many men believe that women cannot keep secrets and the unity we yearned for cannot be long lasting. Many female organizations that started some years ago have been ripped apart because of disunity, greed, selfishness and jealousy.

It is even believed that Sierra Leonean women enjoy gossiping and watch the fall of their fellow women.

They are said to be spiteful and despise the news of the success of their fellow women.

In proving the hate for their colleagues, they are mostly seen castigating women who have assiduously worked for success. These women are described as prostitutes and called cheap women or women who will never taste the sweetness of matrimony.

For instance, women of the 50-50 group and those from other female organizations who agitated for equal representation of women in politics were misconstrued to be inciting other women to disrespect and or challenge their husbands.

In many instances, these women have been castigated by men and some of their female compatriots who lack the knowledge of equal representation.

As a result of the in-depth disunity among women of this country, politicians have infiltrated the love we once shared and we are now going deep into the divide.

Today we hear of women from the south-east and women from the North; women of Sierra Leone Peoples Party and women of the All Peoples Congress.

It appears that these women from different parts of the country are no longer seeing each other eye-to-eye. Soon, when women in the north cry, women in the south will neither join them in the cry nor help them dry their tears. What a shame!

It has been six years since former president Kabbah declared the end of the war. Women that were sexually assaulted have called on the government to pay reparation for the hurt and humiliation caused to their dignity as women.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission made this recommendation and organizations like the Amnesty International also made the appeal yet governments- both past and present- failed to even make a statement on the issue.

Some Sierra Leoneans argued that implementing the laws or revisiting it and making punishment more severe will be of great help to these women rather than giving them reparation.

The government can do both- giving victims reparation and repealing the archaic laws by making the punishment more rigorous for perpetrators.

It is evident that despite all the noise, sexual harassment is increasing and the reason is because the punishment prescribed by our book of law is trivial.

Governments are seemingly unaware of the problems affecting women in the country because the women have not faced them with the issue in a united and robust manner.

Meanwhile if women of this country could speak with one voice and put aside political, regional and tribal divide, it will be helpful for the country as a whole.

If the like of Hillary Rodham Clinton could proudly contest for the United States Presidency, it is because she has the support of both sexes and especially the women of the country who are united in their call for equality.

Lack of cooperation and disunity from both her side and that of the women in Sierra Leone made the current Minister of Foreign Affairs Zainab Bangura lose woefully in the 2002 Presidential Election under the Movement of Progress party. She did not get the support of the majority of Sierra Leonean women.

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