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Sierra Leone: President Signs Law Reserving 30% of Jobs for Women
RFI, 21 January 2023
Sierra Leone has passed a law requiring public and private entities to reserve 30 percent of their jobs for women in a bid to tackle gender imbalances in a male-dominated society. Read more »
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Sierra Leone: Lawmakers Demand More Funding for Labour Ministry
Concord, 19 January 2023
As lawmakers debate the proposed Employment Bill, 2023, a number of them have called on the government, through the Ministry of Finance, to provide more funding to the Ministry of… Read more »
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Sierra Leone: RSLAF Committed to Ensuring Equal Opportunities for All in the Military - MOD
Concord, 15 December 2022
Director of Media and Public Relations of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), has told Concord Times that, they have been doing all they could to ensure gender… Read more »
New Law Reserves 30 Percent of Jobs for Women in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has passed a law requiring public and private entities to reserve 30 percent of their jobs for women in a bid to tackle gender imbalances in a male-dominated society.
Women in Sierra Leone suffer from discrimination and, according to Human Rights Watch, it has been common practice to fire them if they get pregnant.
Many women and girls also face high levels of sexual violence, partly a legacy of the use of rape as a weapon during the 1991-2002 civil war. The Equality Act also aims to improve women's access to finance in a country where they have often been unable to get credit.
Employers who breach the new quotas face fines of up to 50.000 leones (2,400 euros). Sierra Leone is ranked 182nd out of 189 countries on the UN's 2020 Gender Development Index. Nearly half of the countries in the bottom 20 are in West Africa.
