In the course of the campaign for the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in 2011, the current UN Women Representative to Ethiopia, Africa Union and Economic Commission for Africa; Letty Chiwara commended the Government and people of Sierra Leone for their relentless effort in ensuring that women realize their full potentials. It seemed like a very strict world to be living in at that time. Believers in equal rights for women are celebrating Sierra Leone's just-passed Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) Act, which mandates equal pay for equal work, maternity leave, financial inclusion, and a 30% quota of women in government appointments and private institutions with more than 25 employees (AYV News, 2022). The rural families, also considered those in the poorest quintile of income, require their children to assist in labour, which is why over 53% of children (World Bank 2014) in the poorest quintile leave education before they complete secondary education. Property and titles are inherited by male lineage, and men dominate in political leadership. 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. 602 Words3 Pages. UNDP Residence Coordinator, Sunil Saigal signs the HeForShe board. 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. In fact, in Sierra Leone, rape is extremely common and is considered a "societal norm" (US Department of . This would allow the teachers to teach all the students new, modern ideas. Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement. 33% of men in Sierra Leone have reached at least a secondary education; only 20.1% of women will do the same. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is an index for measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report 20th anniversary edition by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 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. Gender inequity in Sierra Leone is still a huge problem but many efforts are happening and its status is improving. In other words, should male and female be treated in the same way? The Government and people of Sierra Leone on Tuesday 28 February, 2017 joined the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in the official launch of the Heforshe Campaign at the State Hall of the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone. 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. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/wess_dev_issues/dsp_policy_01.pdf, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X03000093. Providing universal access to, and ensuring the completion of, primary education for all girls and boys is one of the key areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1995. Libya, Martinique, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Reunion, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, US Protectorates, Ukraine . Intersectionality explains why gender cannot be in isolation from other inequalities in the social world. 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. This clearly determines the behavior of a man or woman in the society. As seen throughout this case study, Ive learned that there is a significant difference of gender inequality in the developing world than those of western, more developed countries and displays just how there needs to be a change in this. As of February 2021, only 12.3% of seats in parliament were held by women. Across the world, so many women and girls still do not have . Yet despite the challenges posed by climate change and gender inequality, evidence shows that women are actively contributing to building resilient cities. Gender inequality is a pervasive problem in many parts of the world, including Africa. Promoting Gender Equality is key to the implementation of UNDP's programs and its operationalisation in Sierra Leone. UN (2015) Concepts of Inequality, Devlopment Issues No.1, accessed at, Goodhand, J. Their voice, visibility, participation, and representation in elective and appointment positions remain very low compared to men. A strong emphasis on the human rights, including reproductive rights, of individual women and men underpins all of UNFPA's work. (Photo: Market women protesters in Freetown). These girls have dreams and hopes of becoming someone and the only way to achieve their dream is by going to school and so, they shouldnt be held accountable for a rape they did not want and their education should not be compromised. There is a clear preference for boys' education, it is mostly because people think that investing in girls' education is just a waste of money, since there will not be the one that support a family financially. School-related gender-based violence is part of a complex, multi-faceted social issue. As Riddell (2005) states, citizens were actively ripped off through colonialism and independent governments to date. For example transfer of state resources to the elite. To reflect the commitment of the Government in meeting global obligations, legislative reforms in the following critical areas - as required by the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have been enacted: Domestic Violence Act 2007, Devolution of Estates Act 2007, Registration of Customary, Marriage and Divorce Act 2009, Child Rights Act 2007 and the Sexual Offences Act 2012. In Sierra Leone, progress has been made in expanding opportunities for women and girls to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. Women in Sierra Leone are used just like weapons in war (Ben-Ari & Harsch). USAID helps empower women in Sierra Leone through continuous sensitization, training in leadership skills, advocacy and planning and entrepreneurship. If you are looking for current information, visit www.usaid.gov. Gender-based violence in or around schools continues to be a serious and pressing problem in Sierra Leone that necessitates greater attention. The root causes of conflict: evidence and policy implications. This issue affects me because I feel the need to check my privilege. Equality, after struggling and fighting for his freedom, finally knows why he lives and what has been missing in his life. Around one-third of households are headed by women - these are families where the male household head is absent due to, divorce, death, or long-distance migration. Women in Sierra Leone have always made vital contributions to the economy and have often played a substantial role in the subsistence of their families. Traditionally in Haitian culture women are the head of the household but still place their husbands authority above them. According to the Gender Inequality Index (GII), Denmark was the most gender equal country in the world in 2021. A very ridiculous law has gone in effect in April to ban girls who are pregnant from school even if it was a, It is the 21st century and although politics and the world is never perfect, inequality should not be an issue we as a world should talk about. . 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. Their voice, visibility, participation and representation in elective and appointment positions remain very low compared to men. Firstly the key terms will be defined then the essay will be divided into two main sections. As a result, the cores of the economy continued where they were most familiar, in the urban politically powerful centres of Freetown, Bo and Kenema (). These two characters saw the issues in the equality of the government. USAID helps empower women in Sierra Leone through continuous sensitization, training in leadership skills, advocacy and planning and entrepreneurship. According to the new bill, women will now have to make up one-third of the West African country's parliament. Awareness raising on relevant legislation involving gender based violence, support to access free legal counselling/representation, and access to medical care for the victims and survivors of gender-based violence are among the key activities. (3) Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18. Photo:UN Women/Cecil Nelson. Since then, considerable progress has been made in achieving universal primary education and closing the gender gap in enrollment. In recent years the government and its partners, including USAID have been focusing on providing women with access to financial services as it has the potential to act as a catalyst for enhancing womens economic, social and political empowerment. Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) and ICF. These, Equality lives in a collectivist society, which is a society that believes, that man must be chained to collective action and collective thought for the sake of what is called the common good. Therefore, Equality being the person he is, struggles with being an individual. 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. For more details, see the methodological note and the article We now have more gender-related SDG data than ever, but is it enough?. 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). More than two . Issues of unequal opportunities for boys and girls continue to be exacerbated by factors such as early marriage for girls, teenage pregnancies and harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Equality comes with progress and progress takes time. LEWAF's objective is to eradicate gender-based violence in Sierra Leone, dissolve inequality and ensure that societies treat women as valuable contributors deserving of dignity and respect. Nevertheless, gender inequality and denial of womens rights are still prevalent at all levels in Sierra Leonean society even though the women for50.8 per cent of thepopulation. This again makes goods unaffordable for rural communities and forces them further into poverty and widens the gap in inequality between urban and rural areas. Education is very important in order to explore the potentials that will drive every person to their future pathways of success. However, justice is giving opportunity to those who are not privileged reach up to those who are privileged. The Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 September 2013. Access the executive summary of the report here and read their full report here. Photo:UN Women/ Cecil Nelson. This landmark achievement increases efficiency in reporting, decreases data transmission turnaround time, and helps organize data for use in outbreak . At the African Womens Leadership conference in Sierra Leone, President Koroma assures women of 30% quota by end of office. In Sierra Leone, schooling and literacy are something not all women are able to experience and accomplish. In the rural labor force, women provide more than 60% of farm labor for food production, but this forms part of a larger power dynamic problem as men still possessed greater access to ownership and control of the production, reducing women to a marginal position. Inequality and Poverty: A Marxist-Geographic Theory., Addison, T. (2001) From Conflict to Recovery in Africa, Oxford University Press pg 31-39. Being that I am a female and I am Sierra Leonean, now I view the inequality and unjust treatment of females in the developing world as a major problem that needs an urgent solution. Addressing harmful practices are also covered by raising awareness on both the potential short and longer-term health consequences, human rights violations of FGM, and the negative impact. Nafziger, E. W., & Auvinen, J. Almost 50% of Sierra Leonean females endure "sexual or physical violence during their lifetime." . The curriculum focused on learning English (Fyle 1986) rather than skill based learning which would benefit rural children more practically gaining employability opportunities, generate income and alleviate their families from poverty. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Equality among people justifies the development of human civilization. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. It is very important that every female in developing countries is offered an education because it enables them to branch out of the ongoing cycle of women rights negation and gives them equal opportunity for autonomy., Women are being oppressed when they are prevented from accessing these services. Equality is giving someone the same opportunity to make them equal. The gender gap index is calculated by setting a benchmark of national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria, and is based on a . 61% of women in the Sierra Leone will experience gender-based violence (GBV) in their lifetime. However, there was no one period in the past, even now, without inequality completely. Equality is giving someone the same opportunity to make them equal. In third world countries, girls are fighting their families, communities, and countries in order to go to school. Find out about career opportunities at USAID. Gender inequality coupled with staunchly held, restrictive gender norms manifest itself in high levels of gender-based violence (GBV), which due to the weakened social structures . As we have earned in class, equality and justice is not the same thing. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. This situation is in turn perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and gender inequality from generation to generation. Africa Office Corporate author : United Nations Children's Fund ISBN : 978-92-803-1444-1 Collation : 272 pages Language : English Gender Inequality In Sierra Leone. Economic development, inequality, war, and state violence. 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. Addressing harmful practices are also covered by raising awareness on both the potential short and longer-term health consequences, human rights violations of FGM, and the negative impact that early marriage and teenage pregnancy can have on the lives of girls and their families. The Women Count Data Hub is made possible by the partners of the Women Count programme, which include the Governments of Australia, Ireland, France, Mexico, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,Alibaba Foundation and Elizabeth Arden. 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. Richard Maclure and Myriam Denov stated how a policy of rapid post-war educational expansion, with its emphasis on increased girls access to schooling, will no longer support the diminishing systemic discrimination against girls and women, and how preoccupation with rapid, Prior to this case study I was aware of some inequality between males and females in most developing countries but never really understood what it is females go through day by day as a forced lifestyle. The education system based upon the British education system was developed to serve the best interests of the elite, focusing on a Western style curriculum unrelated to the environment of which the majority of students, from the rural areas, were to grow up in. Their leaders are the Council of Vocations enforced those rules, and the people that over-rule them are the World Council. 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. Gender discrimination and poverty. The $40 million estimated tax lost to Sierra Leone from 2009-2016 with Sierra Rutile company is enough to cover the health care of over 67,000 Sierra Leonean women and children for one year under the country's Free Health Care Initiative. Note: Content in this archive site is NOT UPDATED, and external links may not function. Women in Sierra Leone are used just like weapons in war (Ben-Ari & Harsch). The roles women are expected to play are general expectations such as cooking, cleaning, and staying at home with the children, leaving women in Sierra Leone with very . External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. The economic system within Sierra Leone alike the education system, preserves the problems of poverty and inequality within the population, particularly in the rural areas. *You can also browse our support articles here >. The Gender Equality Bill, 2011 drafted as a private member Bill spearheaded by the Sierra Leone Female Parliamentary Caucus was not enacted into law before the closure of the last Parliament. 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