International Day Of The Girl Child

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400 Adolescent girls take over parliament

By Sylvester Samba

In December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution 66/170, declaring 11th October as the International Day of the Girl Child. The recognition of this day aims at highlighting and recognizing girls' rights and the challenges faced by girls worldwide. Thus, the main objective is to empower women and girls and at the same time, spread awareness about eliminating gender inequalities against women and girls.

In Sierra Leone, about 400 adolescent girls ages 13-19 years, sat in parliament and presented views of girls in their districts, communities, clubs, and schools, commemorating the International Day of the Girl, October 11, 2019.

The event was a simulation of an actual parliamentary session where girls shed light on issues affecting them and raise their voices to proffer solutions. The girl parliamentarians deliberated on the implementation of the Amended Sexual Offences Act of 2019 and called on the President to sign the amended act into law.

Laws such as the Child Right Act 2007, the Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act 2012, etc. play significant roles in the protection of the rights of women and girls.

The issue of enforceability has crippled the effectiveness of these laws. In September this year, the Sexual Offences Act 2012 was amended, providing life imprisonment as a maximum penalty for perpetrators of rape and other sexually related offenses such as penetration of minors, which is a step by the government to reduce the spate of rape and sexual penetration in the country.

The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) commemorated this year's International Day of the Girl Child by undertaking a nationwide public education in schools with the message on the child rights act, the amended sexual offenses act, child marriage and the work of the HRCSL.

In 2017, HRCSL hosted school children from St. Joseph Convent, Gateway Preparatory School, Government Model Secondary School, Akibo Betts School, Girls High School, and Vine Memorial School. Issues discussed were sexual and gender-based violence on children and its implications on their personal, social, and psychological development.

In the Sierra Leone context, we saw improvement in enrollment of girls in schools and tertiary educational institutions; however, they still face challenges in the country. Teenage pregnancies, sexual, and gender-based violence are some of the challenges in promoting girls' rights.

The theme for this year is 'GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable' aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges faced by girls while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

The Chairperson of HRCSL, Mrs. Patricia Narsu Ndanema, said, It was important to note that educating girls on the laws that protect women and girls and their corresponding rights and responsibilities is a vital part of building a peaceful community.

Human rights education, a critical means of instilling the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values will enhance a greater culture; the HRCSL is embarking on public education, particularly in girls’ schools, which will serve as a platform to identify, discuss, and, document some human rights challenges faced by girls in their schools, and community.

The Coordinator, Women's Forum for Human Rights and Democracy Sierra Leone (WOFHRAD - SL) Madam Emilia Kamara Jengo called on all young girls to be focused. To the men, she said, be MENTORS to our girls and not TORMENTORS. They need your PROTECTION.

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Theo Edwards

Theo Edwards has over twenty years of diverse Information Technology experience. He spent his days playing with all things IBMi, portal, mobile application, and enterprise business functional and architectural design.

Before joining IBM as Staff Software Engineer, Theo worked as a programmer analyst and application specialist for businesses hosting eCommerce suite on IBMi platform. He has been privileged to co-author numerous publications such as Technical Handbooks, White paper, Tutorials, Users Guides, and FAQs. Refer to manuals here. Theo also holds a degree in Computer Science, Business Administration and various certifications in information security and technologies. He considers himself a technophile since his engagement at Cable & Wireless then later known SLET.