SIERRA LEONE: NOW Seek Inputs Into UN Resolutions 1325 & 1820

Date: 
Monday, August 11, 2014
Source: 
Awoko
Countries: 
Africa
Western Africa
Sierra Leone
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
General Women, Peace and Security

Women groups and Civil Society Organisations have made their inputs into the Sierra Leone in-country monitoring of the United Nation Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 Report for 2014.


Dr. Nana Pratt who is the Co- Chair on the National Steering Committee for the Implementation of SiLNAP, said that Sierra Leone became a chapter of the Global Network of Women Peace building (GNWP) in 2010 to monitor the implementation of Resolutions 1325 and 1820.

She said that the objectives of the in- Country Monitoring Team is to build on the research and database on 1325 implementation carried out in 2013.

Dr. Pratt stated that the Monitoring covers a total of eleven indicators aimed at assessing women's involvement in various sectors- governance, security among others.

Speaking during a one day validation workshop at the YWCA Hall in Freetown, Dr Pratt who is also the Coordinator National Organisation for Women (NOW), said the purpose of the workshop was to validate the data that they have collected and make corrections where necessary, as the Report has not yet being completed.

She said the Report have 11 indicators clustered into three groups; indicator 1 to 5 deals with women's participation, indicator 6 to 9 deals with protection and prevention and indicator 10 to 13 deals with the promotion of a gender perspective.

Presenting the findings, she said UNSCR 1325 addresses not only the inordinate impact of war on women, but also the pivotal role women should and do play in conflict management, conflict resolution, and sustainable peace.

During discussions and group work participants made it clear that that women are still marginalized because they are not seen in terms of leadership.

They said that women should be seen as leaders and not victims and that their participation is essential in peace building.
Participants also said that there must be strategies that will protect women from violence including prosecuting of perpetrators and making laws that will increase women's participation at all levels.