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2006

Woman at Risk of FGM in Sierra Leone is Granted Asylum in UK
October 20, 2006 – (Feminist Daily News Wire) The United Kingdom has granted asylum to Zainab Fornah, 19, who fears she would be subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) if she returns to Sierra Leone, her home country. Under refugee law, an individual can be granted asylum if she belongs to a "particular social group" that is in danger of persecution.

SIERRA LEONE: Women prospectors find steady income
September 20, 2006 – (IRIN) Isata Kamara never imagined herself as a gold miner in Koidu, Sierra Leone’s diamondiferous eastern province. Before the civil war erupted in 1991, the tall, elegant 60-year-old tended fields to support herself and her family. “After the war it became too difficult to farm; much of the land had been mined out by these diamond diggers. I couldn’t get enough money from farming so my children taught me how to pan for this gold,” Kamara said, shyly pointing to a large pile of glistening gold flakes.

WACSOF Sierra Leone, holds meeting on Peace & Security
June 22, 2006 – (Awareness Times) The West Africa Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) Sierra Leone Chapter, held a meeting last Friday, 16th June, 2006 to discuss the way forward for national peace and security under the theme, "Discussing Important National Issues: The 2007 Elections, Peace and Security in West Africa and the PRSP" at the Defenders Hall of the Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE).

Mixed Feelings Over Charles Taylor's Transfer to The Hague
June 20, 2006 - (IPS) Former Liberian head of state Charles Taylor was flown to The Hague, Tuesday, to face trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity associated with the conflict that took place in Sierra Leone during the 1990s. The ex-president was previously held in that country's capital, Freetown, where a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal has charged him on 11 counts.

Sierra Leone: Women's Advocates Conclude Seminar On Violence Against Vulnerable Women
June 19, 2006 – (Standard Times) A local non-government organization, Women's Advocate, advocating for women's rights and other related issues in Sierra Leone and the west African sub-region, concluded a one-day seminar on "Violence against vulnerable women in Sierra Leone" at the YWCA in Freetown on Friday, 16th June 2006. The seminar attracted participants from various walks of life including especially women who have made indelible marks in the society as well as young girls who are engaged in prostitution.

Sierra Leone: Let Them Own-Up; Albeit Inadvertently
June 16, 2006 – (Concord Times) I comment on the piece centred on Hindolo Trye Goes APC: A Reaction from Victor Reider (SLPP) with great satisfaction because of the acknowledgement by VICTOR REIDER National Publicity Secretary- SLPP that the end of hostilities and the ushering of democracy in the 1990's was the handiwork of the ordinary Sierra Leonean.

2005

Sierra Leone: UNAMSIL's DSRSG underscores United Nations Security Council's resolution 1325 on women, peace and security
August 24, 2005 - (UNAMSIL) The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG) and UNDP Resident Representative for Sierra Leone, Mr. Victor Angelo, has disclosed that there are serious gender disparities in Sierra Leone which are capable of frustrating any attempt at sustainable development if not adequately addressed.

Women Advocate for More Empowerment
July 15, 2005– (The Independent) The Network of Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (NEWMAP) in Sierra Leone are making significant strides to improve the welfare and status of women in the country.

IN SERIES OF CONTROVERSIAL RULINGS, INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL REFUSES TO HEAR EVIDENCE RELATING TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE
June 27, 2005 - (U.C. Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center) Breaking from growing international recognition of the gravity of crimes such as rape and sexual enslavement, a decision issued late last week by a trial chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone prevents it from hearing evidence of sexual violence in one of its three cases. According to U.C. Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center Director David Cohen, “The Special Court has lost an important opportunity to highlight the nature and scope of sexual violence committed by the CDF and to create accountability for such crimes.” A report issued today by the U.C. Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center summarizes the key issues and the history behind the decision.

CGG Inputs Human Trafficking Bill
June 16, 2005 – (Concord Times) Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) last Wednesday organized a one-day workshop to discuss the Anti-Human Trafficking, which is before Parliament for enactment into law.

Girl Loses Sexual Mutilation Case
June 9, 2005 – (BBC) A teenager who fears being subjected to female circumcision if she is returned to Sierra Leone has failed in a legal bid to seek sanctuary in the UK.

Girls forced to serve in armed conflicts worldwide
April 25, 2005 - (BBC) A report from Save The Children estimates 120,000 girls have been abducted and forced to serve as soldiers, sex slaves and domestic workers in armed conflicts around the world. While the report highlights abuses in Uganda, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, Mike Aaronson, director general of Save the Children, says, "This appalling abuse of girls' rights demands urgent action. Its time to stop the war on children."

Female Circumcision Used As a Weapon of Political Campaign
April 19, 2005 - (IPS) "It is not an easy job. Sometimes I get booed and taunted. At crucial moments I get chased out of places where the practice is much more prevalent," complains 34-year-old Ann Marie Caulker, who is championing the campaign to end the age-old tradition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Zero Tolerance for UN Troops Involved in Sexual Abuse
April 5, 2005 - (AllAfrica) The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone may be preparing for the final pullout of its peacekeeping force by the end of the year, but it seems, the mission wants to leave behind a clean record, in so far as sexual exploitation and abuse is concerned.

Five years old and learning to circumcise other girls
March 23, 2005 - (IRIN) Young girls in Sierra Leone, who were traditionally circumcised at puberty, are having their clitoris cut out by secret societies at a younger and younger age, especially in the remote north of the country.

Female circumcision is a vote winner
March 17, 2005 - (IRIN) When the president's wife sponsors the circumcision of 1,500 young girls to win votes for her husband, you know you've got a problem persuading ordinary people and the government that female genital mutilation (FGM) is a bad idea.

Meeting with UN staff in Sierra Leone, Fréchette stresses zero-tolerance policy on sex abuse
March 3, 2005 - (UN News) Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today continued her tour of United Nations peacekeeping operations in West Africa, speaking to staff and troops in Sierra Leone about the world body's zero tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation and abuse.

Fréchette Heads to Sierra Leone After Wrapping up Visit to UN Mission in Liberia
March 2, 2005 – (UN News) Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette headed to Sierra Leone today after wrapping up her trip to Liberia for the second leg of visits to United Nations peacekeeping operations in West Africa to emphasize the world body's zero tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse by UN troops.

UN Special Court investigator locked up for molesting 13-year old
February 22, 2005 - (IRIN) Peter Halloran, the Chief Investigator at the UN-backed Special Court that is trying those deemed most responsible for war crimes in Sierra Leone's civil war, has jailed for 18 months on charges of sexually molesting his 13 year old maid.

The Status of Women in Sierra Leone
February 11, 2005 - (Standard Times) The basic human rights enshrined in many international and regional instruments, such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Chapter on Human and People's Rights are found in the 1991 Sierra Leone constitution, chapter 3, sections 15-20 which provides for the equal right of women.

2004

Former Rebels Accused of Retaining 'Bush Wives'
December 20, 2004 - (The Independent) UNICEF in Sierra Leone says many of the girls and women used as "sex slaves' by commanders of the various fighting factions in Sierra Leone are still retained by them. The agency's assertion is based on a report in the 2004 Global report. The 2004 Global report says over 10, 000 children, including girls, were recruited as combatants during the ten-year civil conflict from 1991 to 2002 in Sierra Leone.

West African countries wage war on violence against women
November 30, 2004 – (UNHCR) Barely emerging from years of civil conflict, two countries in West Africa are waging a new war – a battle to eradicate all forms of violence against women.

Unamsil Chief Unveils Women's Help Line Project
November 3, 2004 - (Concord Times) Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago launched the Women's Help Line Project (WHLP) over the weekend in Pujehun.

CEDAW Consults With Government
October 28, 2004 - (Concord Times) Expert from the Committee for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) are currently in Sierra Leone to consult government on the implementation of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against women.

MRU WOMEN ON PEACE, UNITY OVERTURES
July 15, 2004 - (The Analyst) The 14 years civil conflict did not only sour the human relationship among Liberians but did similar things in neighboring countries of the Mano River Union (MRU).

REBELS "CRIMINALLY GUTTED AN ENTIRE NATION" SAYS INTERNATIONAL PROSECUTOR
July 5, 2004 - (IRIN) Three former commanders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group accused of chopping off the limbs of innocent civilians, gang raping women and burning villagers alive in their homes, stood in the dock on Monday as Sierra Leone's Special Court put them on trial for war crimes.

AIDS SPREAD IN SIERRA LEONE AT A RAPID RATE
June 23, 2004 - (The Independent) The AIDS pandemic has been observed to be spreading at a rapid rate in post-war era and has been compounded by the socio-economic adversities exhibited by the war which is pushing many young girls into promiscuity, an act that easily attracts the disease.

TRIAL CHAMBER APPROVES NEW COUNT OF FORCED MARRIAGE
May 7, 2004 – (Special Court for Sierra Leone Press and Public Affairs Office Press Release) The Trial Chamber of the Special Court, in a majority decision, has approved a motion by prosecutors to add the new count of "forced marriage" to indictments against six defendants alleged to have been leaders of the former AFRC and RUF.

FORCED MARRIAGE PURSUED AS CRIME IN SIERRA LEONE TRIBUNAL CASES
April 19, 2004 – (IPPF) Prosecutors at the Special Court for Sierra Leone have asked the tribunal's trial chamber to amend all previously issued indictments to include a new crime against humanity — forced marriage.

PROWA TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT
April 8, 2004 – (Standard Times) The founder and director of the Progressive Women's Association (PROWA), Mrs. Sia D. Kamanda has observed that the most dejected and frustrated people in Africa are women, who have been denied basic rights like education, employment and social equality.

REHABILITATION PROGRAMS REPORTEDLY FAILING WAR-AFFECTED FEMALES
April 5, 2004 – (UN Wire) Aid programs designed to rehabilitate war-affected populations fail to address the needs of children, particularly girls, who often receive no support at all, experts said at a conference over the weekend on children and war.

INSPECTOR GENERAL DESCRIBES POLICE WAR WIDOWS AS UNSERIOUS
April 1, 2004 – (Concord Times - Freetown) Police War Widows Wednesday told Concord Times that Inspector General of Police Brima Acha Kamara described them as, " unserious" before dismissing them because of a demonstration they held which called for benefits due them as a result of the deaths of their husbands during the just concluded decade long civil war.

PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND PROTECTION FOR WOMEN STILL REQUIRED
March 18, 2004 – (Refugees International) As UNAMSIL plans its exit strategy from Sierra Leone and begins to assess its successes, it can point to many: increased stability in the country, the return of refugees from Liberia and Guinea, the establishment of the special court, a renewed and re-trained Sierra Leone Police (SLP) force, and a better trained and equipped national army (RSLAF). These successes are resulting in a rush to close down the offices of UNAMSIL, while crucial elements to the long-term health of Sierra Leone are being overlooked, notably strengthening of the justice system and continued training for government officials and security personnel in the areas of human rights and gender issues.

GIRLS', WOMEN'S ROLES IN CIVIL WARS MORE WIDESPREAD, STUDY FINDS
March 3, 2004 – (ReliefWeb) A Canadian-sponsored study published Wednesday showed that recruitment and abductions of girls and women to fight in many civil wars in Africa were widespread even though governments in the region denied a role in the practice.

ERNEST KOROMA BLASTS POLICE FOR STOPPING WOMEN'S DEMO
February 24, 2004 – (Concord Times - Freetown) Hon Ernest Bai Koroma has expressed his displeasure over last week's police order refusing the Methodist Women police clearance to process the streets of Freetown in order to demonstrate against the high cost of living.

IN SYMPATHY WITH OUR POOR SIERRA LEONEAN MOTHERS
February 23, 2004 – (Concord Times - Freetown) The Sierra Leonean women in the Diaspora could certainly empathize with the church- women in Sierra Leone over the state of the economy, over which they recently attempted to demonstrate in the streets of Freetown. With a bag of rice selling for 51,000 leones, a pint of palm oil for 2500 leones, a loaf of bread for 250 leones and the price of similar commodities used for preparing our staple food having sky rocketed within the past few months, and no end in sight, the attempted action of our sisters was overdue and necessary.

ROLES OF GIRLS IN FIGHTING FORCES OVERLOOKED, POST-CONFLICT NEEDS NEGLECTED: WOMEN OF SIERRA LEONE FILL THE LEADERSHIP VOID
February 13, 2004 – (Women Waging Peace Press Release) The idea of a young child carrying a loaded gun, spying on enemy villages, and organizing guerrilla raids is a tragedy of lives—and innocence—lost. But it happens every day, from Sierra Leone to Liberia, from Uganda to the DR Congo. Whether abducted or recruited voluntarily, these children are integral members of fighting forces. Increasingly, those youngsters are girls.

SIERRA LEONE: PROSECUTORS SEEK RAPE CHARGES
February 12, 2004 - (Reuters) Prosecutors have asked the United Nations-backed war crimes special court to add sex crimes to indictments against three pro-government militia leaders during the country's civil war. The prosecution charges the three, including the former interior minister, with being responsible for fighters who raped civilian women and forced them into sexual slavery. They already face charges of unlawful killing, terrorizing civilians and recruiting child soldiers. From: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/12/international/africa/12BRIE3.html

SIERRA LEONE LEADER DECLARES DISARMAMENT
February 4, 2004 – (AP) President Ahmed Tejah Kabbah and international sponsors declared a successful end to disarmament in Sierra Leone on Wednesday, closing a final chapter in an 11-year war that was one of the modern world's most vicious. To see more article, go to UNWire.


2003

MARWOPNET AWARDED 2003 UNITED NATIONS PRIZE IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS (English and French)
December 3, 2003 – (FAS) Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) is happy to announce that the Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET) has been awarded the United Nations Prize for Human Rights for 2003 by the UN General Assembly in recognition of its outstanding achievement in human rights. The 2003 Prize will be presented by UN General Assembly President, Jan Kavan, at an event at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 December 2003, as part of the annual commemoration of Human Rights Day. A delegation from MARWOPNET consisting of its Chair, Mrs Saran Daraba Kaba (Guinea), and two Vice-Chairs, Mrs Theresa Leigh-Sherman (Liberia) and Mrs Agnes Taylor-Lewis (Sierra Leone), accompanied by FAS’s Executive Director, Mrs Bineta Diop (Senegal), will accept the Prize.

AMERICAN AMBASSADOR HELPS LUMPA WOMEN TO COPE WITH POST-WAR PROBLEMS
October 2, 2003 – (Concord Times - Freetown) Women in Lumpa Village, Waterloo, 18 miles from the capital Freetown, have benefited from the American Ambassador's Special Self-Help program. The Lumpa Women's Development Organization engages in skills training and income-generating activities. The organization also helps their women folk distressed due to war related destruction.

DARK SIDE OF PEACEKEEPING
July 10, 2003 – (The Independent – London) It was late at night when the woman farmer came out of her house in the village of Joru in Sierra Leone to go to the lavatory. She saw a large white truck that had stopped about 50 metres from her home. It was an unusual sight, so she hid and watched what was going on. Inside were two white men and a black woman, who was yelling: "Leave me alone."

TRAINING PEACEKEEPERS TO PROMOTE HIV PREVENTION AND GENDER-AWARENESS IN SIERRA LEONE
July 9, 2003 – (UNFPA) In March, UNFPA launched a groundbreaking two-year programme for HIV/AIDS prevention and gender awareness among peacekeepers in Sierra Leone. With over 15,000 troops, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is currently the largest peacekeeping force in the world.

CASES OF UGLY SEXUAL ASSAULTS EMERGE DURING TESTIMONIES
June 9, 2003 - (African Church Information Service) A Kenyan lawyer, Binaifer Nowrojee of the Coalition on Women's Human Rights in Conflict Situations (CWHRCS) told the Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that sexual violence has remained Sierra Leone's invisible war crime.

PHOTOGRAPHER RECOUNTS GRUESOME STORIES FROM SIERRA LEONE’S CIVIL WAR
June 2, 2003 – (UN Wire) London-based photographer Caroline Irby, who went to Sierra Leone for UNICEF last year shortly after the country's decadelong civil war was declared over, wrote in Saturday's Financial Times about the horror stories she heard while documenting reunions between families and children who had been conscripted by the rebel Revolutionary United Front or pro-government Kamajor militia. Some 10,000 Sierra Leonean children were forced to be soldiers or prostitutes, Irby wrote.

UPCOMING SECURITY COUNCIL MISSIONS TO AFRICA: WILL THERE BE A GENDER PERSPECTIVE?
May 30, 2003 – (PeaceWomen) In June, the Security Council members will travel to Central and West Africa in order to witness the current armed conflict and post-conflict situations in countries in the respective regions. On June 7, the Council members- led by the French- will depart for the Great Lakes region, where they will spend a week visiting six countries, including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Later in the month, on June 28, the British will lead a Council mission to West Africa, where the Council members will spend six days visiting Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

WOMEN TALK OF RAPE BEFORE THE SIERRA LEONE TRUTH COMMISSION
May 22, 2003 - (Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situations- News Release) The Coalition on Women's Human Rights in Conflict Situations testified today before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) at special hearings on sexual violence during Sierra Leone's decade-long war. The TRC is dedicating two days to thematic hearings on sexual violence.

WOMEN'S COMMISSION RESPONDS TO UN OFFICIAL'S REMARKS
February 21, 2003 – (Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children-press release) The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children in New York has sent a letter to Olara Otunnu, the SRSG on Children and Armed Conflict, in response to his praise of the Sierra Leone DDR, describing it as a model for African nations present at the recent ECOWAS meeting. The letter details the gaps in the DDR and recommends that countries affected by conflict should look to the DDR program in Sierra Leone as an imperfect model for the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers and should incorporate the lessons learned from the DDR process in Sierra Leone into all future demobilization policies and programs affecting children and youth. The letter was copied to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, senior UN officials and fifteen ECOWAS presidents.

"SYSTEMATIC RAPE" IN SIERRA LEONEAN WAR
January 16, 2003 – (afrol News) Thousands of women and girls were subjected to individual and gang rape, during the 10-year civil war in Sierra Leone. All sides in the conflict had committed "widespread and systematic" sexual violence, according to a new report. This included the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), other rebel troops and government and international peacekeeping forces.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DETAILS SEXUAL ATROCITIES IN SIERRA LEONE’S CIVIL WAR
January 16, 2003 – (UN Wire) Extreme sexual brutality against women and girls marked Sierra Leone's decade-long civil conflict, according to a Human Rights Watch report released today, but the violence has garnered little international attention and to date there has been no accountability for the thousands of sexual crimes committed mostly by rebel forces. To read this report online, visit: http://hrw.org/reports/2003/sierraleone/

2002

CALL FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH INFORMATION IN SIERRA LEONE
December 5, 2002 – (Freetown) Notwithstanding the serious abuses perpetrated on the civilian population, the impact of Sierra Leone's civil war on vulnerable groups has been largely invincible to policy makers. This is because the media has not highlighted the plight of rural women that have been the most affected. "Furthermore, traditional women have neither the voice to articulate their concerns, nor the power to make decisions on issues affecting them and their children", says Forum of Conscience, a local NGO headed by John Caulker.

CAMPAIGN ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN LAUNCHED
November 26, 2002 - (IRIN) A 16-day campaign targeting violence against women was launched on Monday in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, by the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Explaining the importance of the period chosen for the campaign, UNAMSIL's Patrice Vahard told journalists on Saturday that the dates linked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which fell on 25 November, and the International Human Rights Day, commemorated on 10 December, a UNAMSIL statement said.

REFUGEE WOMEN AND THE CHALLENGE OF REINTEGRATION
August 7, 2002 - (Refugees International) During a recent site visit to West Africa, the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) spoke with more than 30 Sierra Leonean women and girls - refugees, internally displaced, and returnees- about their experiences and the reintegration obstacles they face in Sierra Leone. Many of the women and girls had lost spouses, parents, children and other family members in the fighting or had suffered or witnessed atrocities.

IN SIERRA LEONE, UN AND PARTNERS ADOPT NEW MEASURES TO PREVENT SEX ABUSE
April 26, 2002 - (UN) The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), along with key partners, has established a committee to look into recent allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of children by aid workers in the region.

MANO RIVER UNION: UNHCR MOUNTS REFUGEE OPERATION, TACKLES SEX ABUSE
March 8, 2002 - The UN Refugee agency UNHCR reported on Thursday it was mounting a "complex operation" to handle the influx of refugees fleeing conflict in Liberia, help thousands of Sierra Leonean refugees returning from Guinea and Liberia, and relocate thousands more Sierra Leonean returnees staying in temporary settlements to safe home areas.

DES FILLES VIOLEES PAR DES TRAVAILLEURS HUMANITAIRES, SELON UN RAPPORT DE L'ONU
4 mars, 2002 - (IPS) Des adolescentes refugiees dans des camps en Afrique de l'ouest sont victimes d'exploitation et d'abus sexuels de la part de stravailleurs humanitaires des agences internationales et des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), a rapporte mercredi une agence des Nations unies.

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