According to a CEDAW press statement issued today,members of the Sierra Leone Government today held a press conference to officially release the Concluding Comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on Sierra Leone’s first CEDAW Report.
The report is a combined Initial to 5th Country Report and covers two years of research on Sierra Leone’s progress in addressing issues of discrimination against women for the past 16 years. The Committee compiled comments and recommendations on a variety of women’s issues in the country, including domestic violence, marriage laws, the situation of rural women and harmful traditional practices. The Report was considered on 17 May 2007, at the 38th session of the CEDAW Committee.
The conference was chaired by the Chief Social Development Officer, Ms. Theresa Vamboi. It included a presentation of the proceedings in New York by the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Haja Memunatu M. Koroma, and a statement by Prof. Joe Robert Pemagbi, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Haja Memunatu Koroma led Sierra Leone’s delegation to New York in May to present the report.
Prof. Pemagbi said that he was “happy that this report was produced” and expressed thanks for the technical and financial support from the UN that made the report possible. He was pleased that despite resource problems and some setbacks in the compilation of the Report, it was “very well done and very professionally presented.” Sierra Leone was commended for presenting a frank report and for an inclusive process in the Report preparation.
The Deputy Minister acknowledged in her remarks the tremendous challenges in implementing CEDAW that the country faces, and expressed the government’s commitment to addressing them. She cited low resources, insufficient budgets, and structural challenges to her Ministry’s work. She also emphasized that important progress had been made toward implementing CEDAW, such as the establishment of the Gender Ministry, the adoption of National Policies on Gender Mainstreaming and the Advancement of Women, the enactment of laws last month on Domestic Violence, Devolution of Estates and Registration of Customary Marriages and Divorce, among others.
The Deputy Minister also addressed the growing concerns surrounding female genital mutilation (FGM), a widespread traditional practice that poses health risks to the majority of Sierra Leonean women. She pointed out that FGM was not a political issue, but a national concern that should be addressed by government and civil society partners. Many countries have passed legislation banning FGM but Sierra Leone she continued has decided that the most effective strategy considering the widespread prevalence and cultural acceptance would be sensitization and education of all relevant stakeholders including traditional leaders and male and female members of society, to understand the issues for the condemnation of the practice.
Responding to a question on the silence of the Report on abortion, she noted that abortion is illegal in Sierra Leone and that women in Sierra Leone had not regarded it as an issue. The CEDAW Committee was of the opinion that the high maternal mortality could be linked to illegal abortions. The relevant statistics were not available at the time to respond to this observation by the Committee but the Ministry of Health was going to look into the matter.
Mrs. Jebbeh Forster, Programme Manager for UNIFEM Sierra Leone, made a brief statement reinforcing UNIFEM’s commitment to supporting MSWGCA in its important work to coordinate implementation of CEDAW. Mrs. Forster was “excited” that the report was submitted successfully and so well received by the Committee. She stressed that “significant progress” had been made with regard to CEDAW goals since the ratification of the Convention in 1988, and was optimistic that progress would continue.
UNIFEM in collaboration with UNDP provided financial and technical support for the preparation and submission of the Report.
Photo: Shirley Gbujama, Sierra Leone’s minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs.
Comments