Sierra Leone Heads ECOWAS Parliament
Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament
The election of Hon Tunis marks the first time that Sierra Leone is occupying the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament since its establishment in 2002. The Speaker promised to assist the ECOWAS Commission in its integrated economic activities by providing the much-needed oversight in the areas of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, youth empowerment, and monetary and financial issues.
The position is rotational
The President of the Republic of Liberia, George Weah, has sent a letter of congratulations to the new Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Honorable Sidi Mohamed Tunis, the current Leader of Government Business representing the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament. Has on Monday 9th March 2020 elected and sworn in as Speaker of the regional Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.
President Weah (L); Honorable Sidi Mohamed Tunis (R): In his letter, President Weah convey heartfelt congratulations to Sidi Mohamed Tunis in his election and installation to the Honorable office of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament on his behalf and that of the peace-loving people of the Republic of Liberia.
President Weah once served as head of the Liberian delegation to the regional parliamentary block when he was a senator, expressed his confidence, and a hopefully proactive 5th Legislature, with much energy exerted at addressing the problems that characterize our states.
A Member of Parliament for Constituency 101 in the Southern Provincial district of Pujehun, Honorable Tunis was overwhelmingly elected to replace Senegalese Mustapha Cisse`LO as Speaker of the regional legislative council is expected to serve in that position until 2024.
The position is rotational. Togo will be in line to succeed Sierra Leone.
In his acceptance message, the Honourable Speaker called for partnership between members of the ECOWAS. He said he is overwhelmed with the support he enjoys from the Government of President Julius Maada Bio and the people of Sierra Leone.
Hon. Tunis tenure comes at a time West African region is struggling with scores of different issues ranging from political, economic, and the threat from the coronavirus disease, which has reported in two member states; Nigeria and Senegal.
In a message from the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio sent to Members of the ECOWAS Parliament, he disclosed he knows the Speaker for several years, and he served in several leadership positions in his country. His wealth of knowledge he will bring to the table to make ECOWAS Parliament a better institution than it is currently.
The election of Hon Tunis marks the first time that Sierra Leone is occupying the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament since its establishment in 2002. The Speaker promised to assist the ECOWAS Commission in its integrated economic activities by providing the much-needed oversight in the areas of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, youth empowerment, and monetary and financial issues.
The speaker continues in response stated he is mindful of Article 2 of the ECOWAS Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security adopted in Lomé 10th December 1999, and that he'll work with the Authority of Heads of State, Government, and the Council of Ministers to ensure our sub-region is safe, secure, and prosperous.
Peacekeepers from nations left their families, served, and in some instances, died protecting vulnerable populations of our community. The responsibility is ours to protect the peace we enjoy today and work tirelessly to bring to end instabilities in our region.
At ECOWAS Court of Justice
In a landmark decision for the West African Region and Africa in general, the court again ordered the government of Sierra Leone to put in place measures including social programs to address increased numbers of teenage pregnancies and sensitize the communities against discrimination.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice based in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday 12th December 2019, ordered the government of Sierra Leone to lift the ban on pregnant school girls with immediate effect. The Court, in its ruling, found that the government breached the right of pregnant girls to education by prohibiting them from accessing school.
Victory For Pregnant School Girls In Sierra Leone
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice based in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday 12th December 2019, ordered the government of Sierra Leone to lift the ban on pregnant school girls with immediate effect. The Court, in its ruling, found that the government breached the right of pregnant girls to education by prohibiting them from accessing school.
In the judgment, the Court found the government of Sierra Leone had not only put in place a discriminatory policy barring pregnant girls from school but also failed to implement measures to reduce teenage pregnancies in line with the National Strategy for the Reduction of Teen Pregnancies, which was adopted after the civil war.
Further, the court found the government had discriminated against the girls by setting up parallel schools that were suboptimal and limiting in scope of subjects. Four subjects taught for three days a week.
In a landmark decision for the West African Region and Africa in general, the court again ordered the government of Sierra Leone to put in place measures including social programs to address increased numbers of teenage pregnancies and sensitize the communities against discrimination.
Speaking in Abuja at the sidelines of the judgment reading, Miss Hannah Yambasu, Executive Director of Women Against Violence, and Exploitation in Society (WAVES) said she was overjoyed.
A victory for the girls who have been dehumanized since 2014
The government has no option but to comply with the obligations declared by the Court. WAVES, Child Welfare Society, Equality Now, and Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa IHRDA filed the case against the Sierra Leone Government in May 2018.
Ms. Judy Gitau, Africa Regional Coordinator at Equality Now, was also at the court as the agent of the girls was excited by the outcome of their case. The girls have had their day in court and have emerged victorious. The ECOWAS Court has given them their voices back and by that a chance at life again.
Amnesty International, who was Amicus Curiae in the case, also was present at the judgment reading.
The Court sought to set the record straight regarding what policy was since the government of Sierra Leone had initially denied the existence and claimed it was an unfortunate statement by their Minister. The Court held that the government took what was a sporadic practice and entrenched it as State policy banning pregnant girls from accessing school on account of their status.
Sexual violence remains widespread in Sierra Leone with women and girls, who constitute more than 50 percent of the population, bearing the brunt of these violations. In 2018 the Family Unit of the Sierra Leone Police recorded 8,505 rape cases including 2,579 cases that involved minors. Admittedly many more went unreported because of the existing gaps in the country’s reporting systems as well as the stigma associated with this violation. The situation became so dire that the Head of State declared rape a national emergency in 2019.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice specifically held that: There exists a policy which was discriminatory against pregnant schoolgirls in Sierra Leone as it barred pregnant schoolgirls from attending mainstream schools. Consequently, the court held that the Government was in breach of its commitments and responsibility under both local and international law particularly Articles 2, 3, 17, 18, 25 of the African Charter; Article 21 and 28a of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention Against Discrimination in Education.
About alternative schools for pregnant girls, the Court held that the establishment of separate schools for pregnant with four taught subjects operating three days a week was discriminatory and a violation of the right to equal education.
The Court also asked the Government of Sierra Leone to develop strategies and nationwide programs that focus on reversing negative societal attitudes that support the discrimination and bias against pregnant girls.
These strategies and programs must enable teenage mothers to attend school.
The Government of Sierra Leone also ordered to integrate Sexual Reproductive Health Rights in the school curriculum. Increase knowledge of family planning and contraceptive to address the high rate of teenage pregnancy.
The New Direction government has an opportunity now to reverse a ban instigated by the former APC government led by Ernest Bai Koroma.
Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES) is a registered indigenous non-governmental organization with its vision, mission, and values geared towards women’s empowerment and protection. WAVES strive towards the achievement of a non-violent, non- discriminatory, and non-exploitative environment for women and children, especially the 'girl-child.' An environment that has respect for humanity, dignity, and equality before the law.
Equality Now is an international non-governmental, human rights organization that was founded in 1992 to advance the rights of women and girls across the world. The organization holds governments responsible for ending legal inequality, sex trafficking, sexual violence, and harmful practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and "child marriage." While working through various projects, Equality Now champions legal and systemic change by setting important legal precedents and exposing barriers that hinder access to justice.
Equality Now has therefore been working with WAVES, Defence for Children International (DCI) Sierra Leone, Women’s Partnership for Justice and Peace (WPJP), Graceland Sierra Leone, Child Welfare Society (CWS), and the Education for All Coalition – Sierra Leone, to call on the government to lift the ban on pregnant girls attending regular schools. To ensure that schools are safe spaces for girls, and to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence against girls are punished.
Purposeful is a feminist movement-building hub for adolescent girls. We amplify girls’ voices, resource their resistance, build solidarity between and across girls’ movements, catalyze collaborative philanthropy, and support innovation in grassroots programming with/ and for girls.
Purposeful convened a coalition for girls’ education in Sierra Leone, launched a political advocacy campaign underpinned by media outreach to bring attention to the injustice of Sierra Leone ban on pregnant girls’ school attendance.
The Coalition for Girls Education
Comprises over 30 organizations among them, national NGOs, UN Agencies, and international NGOs that focus on conveying the importance of girls’ access to education. The national conversation on the impact of the ban on the rights of girls in Sierra Leone. Besides, the Coalition for Girls Education is a subset of the Sierra Leone Adolescent Girls Network and works to empower adolescent girls with improved health, social, economic, and cognitive assets while protecting their human rights and elevating their status in their communities.
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Pregnant School Girls Await ECOWAS Court Decision
In suit no. ECW/CCJ/APP/22/18, the Women Against Violence and Exploitation In Society (WAVES) and Child Welfare Society, Sierra Leone (CWS-SL), who are acting on behalf of the Pregnant Adolescent School Girls in Sierra-Leone, described the policy as grossly unlawful, discriminatory, against the interest of the victims, a violation of their rights to education and non-discrimination.
End Sexual Violence, Women Against Violence and Exploitation In Society (WAVES)
The group photo includes a 3-judge panel
The case filed at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice challenging Sierra Leone’s ban prohibiting pregnant schoolgirls from attending school, will be heard on June 25, 2019. This announcement made at the last adjourned date Monday, May 7, 2019, in Abuja, Nigeria, by a 3-judge bench, after the Government of Sierra Leone had made an application to have the case dismissed citing lack of competence on the part of one of the applicants to appear before the court. The application, however, was dismissed, and the court ordered a full hearing on the case merits 25th of June 2019.
The case was filed on May 17, 2018, by the Child Welfare Society, Women Against Violence and Exploitation Society (WAVES) based in Sierra Leone. The case filling is done in partnership "Equality Now" whose Africa office based in Kenya.
In suit no. ECW/CCJ/APP/22/18, the Women Against Violence and Exploitation In Society (WAVES) and Child Welfare Society, Sierra Leone (CWS-SL), who are acting on behalf of the Pregnant Adolescent School Girls in Sierra-Leone, described the policy as grossly unlawful, discriminatory, against the interest of the victims, a violation of their rights to education and non-discrimination.
The plaintiffs emphasized that the policy worsens the situation for pregnant girls of school age who already stay away from school either because of the social stigma associated with teenage pregnancy or financial constraints. They, therefore, want the Court to order the revocation of the policy and the development of strategies and campaigns that will address the issue of teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone through public education or awareness on sexual and reproductive health rights, among others.
Naitore Nyamu-Mathenge
Equality Now’s Program Officer – End Sexual Violence, Naitore Nyamu has said her organization has been in readiness for a year now to proceed with the said matter that is before the court since in their view the issues they plan to canvass before the court are still ongoing in Sierra Leone.
The courts' agreed to a request from the government of Sierra Leone to have the matter adjourned to prepare their defense.
Equality Now’ Program Officer – End Sexual Violence, stated, as an organization, they remain concerned by the high rates of sexual violence in Sierra Leone and the impact it has on women and girls. Adding, while they are happy with President Julius Bio’s recent announcement declaring rape a national disaster, they note the need to address the injustices from policy level to enforcement level a priority.
A Press Release from 'Equality Now' explained further, recent statistics from the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police revealed 8,505 rape cases reported nationwide last year. Out of these, 2,579 involved defilement of children young as seven months old. The situation in 2017 was not any better. At the time, Equality Now interviewed 250 girls aged between 14 to 17 and another 250 women aged between 18 and 35. Out of the 500 girls and women that participated, 100 reported that they had been victims of sexual violence. A further 60 percent of the girls who participated in this study said that they knew between one and three girls who had become pregnant as a result of sexual violence and had been forced to drop out of school as a result.