Statement by Her Excellency Mrs. Shirley Y. Gbujama, Minister of Social
Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations
Twenty Third Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on
Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First
Century
9 June 2000
Mr. President, Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Ladies and
Gentlemen
I bring you all greetings, from the Government and people of Sierra Leone,
especially the women at the grass roots level and those men who are working
in partnership with us to achieve equal status and opportunities for both
men and women.
Mr. President, I would like to personally, congratulate you on your election
to the Presidency of the 54th UN General Assembly and of this 23rd special
session dedicated to Women. We recall your role nearly 25 years ago, as
the indefatigable leader of the SWAPO Mission in New York then, who worked
unrelentingly with this world body, even in those difficult times, to
ensure freedom and independence for Namibia.
Mr. President, my delegation welcomes the opportunity to assess what we
have done in Sierra Leone, in the last five years to empower women to
be more effective in a strong coalition as equal partners with men as
we enter the 21st Century. The advancement of women in Sierra Leone or
anywhere else in the world cannot be achieved outside this partnership
and treated in isolation as a women's issue. We cannot achieve our goals
on our own unless the partnership is strengthened in social, political,
economic, environmental or cultural matters.
Mr. President, it is against this background of working in partnership,
partnership between Government and Civil Society, between women and men,
between the richest states and poorest states, between the able and the
not so able, between the International Community, and our individual nations,
that the Beijing Platform for Action must be reviewed and appraised.
As we consider the subject of this special session, Women 2000: equality,
development and peace, we must be clear in our minds that when speak of
equality, we mean equal opportunities, equal rights, equal status, equal
approaches to our common problems. It is not a question of physical strength
or even bravery because women have these also, in addition to their special
qualities of beauty delicacy, determination and special perception.
Mr. President,
The United Nations heard the cries of women in the early 1970s, responding
with the debut of the Women's Conference in Mexico, the UN declaration
of the International Women's Day, International Women's Year and the International
Women's decade which ended in 1987. But it was the Beijing Platform for
Action in 1995 that set out a full and complete agenda that covered twelve
critical areas of concern that must be overcome or accomplished in this
century, not the next. This is why we trust that the final document from
this Conference would take us way beyond Beijing +5 and not subtract from
what we achieved in Beijing.
Institutional structures for the Advancement of Women
In Sierra Leone, since Beijing 1995, considerable strides have been made
through the combined efforts of government, UN systems, bilateral and
multilateral donors, NGOs and women themselves in the effective implementation
of the Beijing Platform for Action.
Sierra Leone adopted the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, but there
were few institutional structures, generally disjointed, to address the
situation. In 1996 with the first democratically elected Government after
more than two decades, the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs was
established, not only to advocate and ensure a more equitable distribution
and rational use of public financial and organizational resources particularly
for women and children but to coordinate and develop strategies for cementing
the inter-relationships between Government and private institutions, and
international agencies which address the issues covered under the twelve
areas of concern.
Other institutional structures that were established, include the Women's
Research Unit in the Institute of Public Administration and Management
(IPAM) and the Gender and Research and documentation Center (GRADOC) at
Fourah Bay College.
Women themselves took the initiative to setup non-governmental structures
to facilitate the Beijing plan of action with such organizations such
as the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), the Women's Forum, the Forum
for African Women Education (Sierra Leone Chapter), Sierra Leone Association
of University
Women, Association of Female Journalists, Sisters Unite, and lately the
Network of Women
Ministers and Parliamentarian (NEWMAP).
Power and Decision-making
On its part the Government of Sierra Leone appointed women to the important
Ministries of Gender and Children's Affairs, Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Housing and Country Planning and lately the Ministry of Development
& Economic Planning. Women were made heads of important Commissions
like the National Commission for Democracy & Human Rights, and appointed
as Chairpersons of strategic parastatals such as the Mining and General
Services. The number of women also increased in junior ministerial positions,
and even though men continue to dominate parliamentary representations
with 92.2%, women's representation at 7.8% marks a modest improvement,
when compared with the situation before Beijing.
Women and Armed Conflict
Regrettably, in the course of the brutal rebel war, women, especially
young girls were abducted, raped, and used as sex slaves. This not withstanding
women remain undaunted. They have encouraged and participated in settlement
of disputes through negotiations, mediation, dialogue, arbitration and
reconciliation. One of the most remarkable contributions that women have
made to the consolidation of peace in our country since the 1998 Lome
Peace Agreement, was the massive turn out of women several weeks ago,
to protest he illegal detention of some 500 UN Peace-keepers by the RUF
rebels. Two days later the women came out again and joined in a mass demonstration
for peace. The result? 21 people shot dead and many wounded by rebels
in the capital, Freetown. This was a turning point in the current search
for peace.
Women and Poverty
In partnership with the international community as well as local women
NGO's, we have intensified implementation of our poverty alleviation programmes
and embarked on strategic actions with a strong policy focus aimed at
war victims. A Social Action for Poverty Alleviation (SAPA) Programme
geared towards gender mainstreaming is headed by a young woman.
Women and Health
Improvement in the health status of the population is high on the Government's
agenda and the Locus is now o extending the health care service coverage
to the greater number of the population wit special emphasis on Primary
Health Care (PHC). The strategy of the health policy s to continue to
lay emphasis on preventive rather than curative health services. Health
problems, for women and girls, are being addressed with special attention
on maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, teenage pregnancy and sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) a d HIV/AIDS. In all of this, the International
Community, through the UN system especially UNFPA and UNICEF, have been
solidly behind us.
Education and Training of Women
The education of women and the girl child has been given prominence. One
noteworthy achievement is that the educational system has been restructured
among other things to give prominence to the education of the girl child,
especially in the previously male - dominated area of science. In the
area of training, many technical and vocational institutions have been
established to address the training needs of all young people, girls included.
With improved advocacy these technical and vocational institutions have
filled what used to be very big vacuum in the educational system.
The Girl Child
In Sierra Leone, traditional practices within various cultures continue
to pose serious challenges to the advancement of the girl child. A new
and significant problem however, has been the increase of girl mothers
resulting from rape and abduction of children by rebels. Many of the girl
children released following the Lome Peace Accord were either pregnant
or with babies. NGOs again such as FAWE have made significant strides
in giving prominence to the education of the girl child. A new Education
Policy published in 1995 emphasizes affirmative action in favour of girls
for basic education programmes.
More than 70% of women are illiterate. Women have continued until recently
to fair very badly in the area of educational opportunities and privileges.
The focus on education for the girl child as one of the priority areas
is therefore justified.
Women and the Economy
Women's critical role in the development of the country has been recognized
and concerted effort is now being made to enhance their full integration
into the national development process. Concrete steps have therefore been
taken to establish and strengthen local mechanisms for the advancement
of women in the area of business with access to micro -'credit schemes/
financial institutions and skills development. Women's small business
enterprises is steadily on the increase. A special women's unit within
the Ministry of Agriculture for example, ensures that women have access
to agricultural services, linkages, with donors and other development
partners to build women's capacity for agricultural related activities.
Women are also encouraged by the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and
Children's Affairs to form functional and viable groups, associations
and co-operatives at grass roots level.
Women and the Media
Much awareness has been created on women's rights, participation and training
in relation to the media. Since Beijing, the Sierra Leone Association
of Women in the Media (SLAWIM) and the Alliance of Female Journalists
(AFJ) have come into being.
Violence Against, Women
Active use has been made of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (CRC), in a bid to express concern over and condemn the level
of abduction, rape, violence, amputation and maiming and other atrocities
witnessed by women and girls in particular, with a view to minimizing
violence. Women NGO's and the Ministry of Social Welfare, assisted by
UN systems are now making together to have a center to which women subjected
to violence can view especially for free legal services. In the meantime,
Government and its partners continue to provide counseling services, medical
and health education to battered and sexually abused women and girls.
Women and Human Rights
Sensitization of the public on the rights of women continue in various
media including radio and TV programmes and a nationwide consultation
in 1998 facilitated by the UNDP and carried out jointly by the Ministry
of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs and the Ministry of Local
Government. In so far as national and customary laws may have implications
for the rights of the women, a team of Women.
Legal practitioners are currently examining our laws with a view to identify
and seek revision of any discriminatory provisions.
Mr. President,
In spite of all the difficulties and problems that have abounded throughout
the five year-period since Beijing, it is evident that whatever we have
achieved was done through sustained action; in only short peaceful periods
which amount to not more than two and a half years.
Mr. President, the success of whatever polices governments make to the
empowerment or women will depend largely not only on the institutions,
organizations and networks which we ourselves as women establish and maintain
to keep the pressure on, but also on our own sincerity as women in these
matters. There are many of us who shy away from what we must do and leave
men to do it. We cannot afford to do that. The private sector of society
must have a commitment too if there should be any progress.
Mr. President,
Whatever; we have achieved in my country Sierra Leone, a lot of credit
and gratitude must go to the UN agencies, friendly governments and international
agencies. Without their support, development and peace would have eluded
us completely. I thank God that all UN (hostages have been released. But
we should not forget there are still thousands of Sierra Leonean hostages,
women and children, among them who are held hostage by the rebels with
continued atrocities and violation of women. They must be released too.
To help us maintain commitment with action on the Beijing Platform, I
take this opportunity to appeal to the international community through
this special session:
I. To devise some action plan against all those in the international
community who have contributed directly or in directly to the prolongation
of the conflict in Sierra Leone
2. To take action against the illegal sale of Sierra Leone diamonds which
have fueled the conflict and have brought so such much pain and suffering
on our people, particularly women and children.
3. To help us strengthen the Government machinery for more effective coordination of women's matters.
4. To further assist the poorest of the poor nations with adequate funding
for much needed social amenities to war widows and those many women who
are heads of their homes and family. Patriotism without money cannot do
the tick.
5. For resources to develop communication and information networks
to reach women in the villages to facilitate quick reactions to their
problems of health, especially maternal health, and more importantly their
security.
Finally we recommend the appointment of a Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for women in conflict similar to the one we now have
for children in conflict.
Mr. President, delegates all, I thank you.