Concord Times (Freetown)
Sheku Tanga
8 February 2010
Kenema — Humanist Watch Salone, a local non-governmental organization operating in the Kenema district, has concluded a two-day stakeholders meeting aimed at educating participants on the three Gender Acts enacted by the state parliament in 2002.
Giving an overview of the training, the organization's programme manager Christopher Brima said that the training targeted councilors, local authorities, women's leaders, societal heads and youth from four chiefdoms - Gaura, Tunkia, Dama and Nomo - within Kenema district in order to give them a broad base knowledge on the three Gender Acts, which included the domestic violence act, devolution of estate act, the customary marriages and the anti human trafficking act.
Brima urged participants to utilize the opportunities and knowledge gained from the training to reflect on certain cultural practices that are stumbling blocks to women and girls' access to justice and human rights in various communities within the district.
He maintained that in the past women's rights in Sierra Leone were violated and abused by men with impunity, making them vulnerable in the society. He added that the enactment of the Acts was to empower women to access justice in the country as enshrined in the documents.
Brima further maintained that the project 'Increase Girls' Access to Justice' is funded by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Access to Justice Project in a bid to popularize and increase awareness campaign on the Acts, which will positively change the mindset of people from perpetrating crimes that are related to domestic violence and other gender related issues which put women in vulnerable position in the society.
He called on community stakeholders not to compromise the issue of rape and gross human rights violations within their communities.
Member of parliament representing constituency 19, which comprises Nomo, Tunkia and Gaura chiefdoms, Hon. Marcus Kallon extolled the UNDP and Humanist Watch Salone for bringing people from the four sister chiefdoms to increase their understanding on the Gender Acts.
He emphasized that the law was not a respecter of any person and encouraged the local authorities to take the issue of domestic violence very seriously and not to compromise it as it is a crime that is punishable by law.
The honorable used the occasion to call on parents to educate their children, especially the girl child, which according to him will put them above poverty level.
A participant, Salia Kanneh emphasized that stringent penalties should be taken against perpetrators of teenage pregnancy especially when they are perpetrated by elders against the under aged.
Another facilitator Jonathan Bambara also took participants through the anti-Human Trafficking Act and advised them to act as ambassadors in addressing the problem in their various communities.
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