| Sierra Leone’s women continue to be denied basic rights |
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Sierra Leone is among the countries with the greatest gender inequity, one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. Nine years after the end of the civil war, women continue to suffer from severe discrimination in their daily life and according to a new report released by Amnesty International, many pregnant women and girls in continue to be denied free access to necessary drugs and medical care. Although the government has taken some action, much remains to be done, the report concludes. In the report, entitled “At a Crossroads: Sierra Leone’s Free Health Care Policy”, Amnesty International addresses the effect of the government’s Free Health Initiative, launched last year. The Initiative aims to provide all pregnant women and lactating mothers with free treatment at government-run facilities but was not sufficiently implemented so far, the report reads. “A critical shortcoming within the healthcare system is the absence of any effective monitoring and accountability systems, without which reforms cannot succeed,” said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s Africa program director. If the government is to guarantee free basic medical treatment to all pregnant women and girls in the country, it should not only focus on reviewing individual facilities but monitor the obstacles women face in accessing the services and establish a complaint system, the report claims. The limited access to basic healthcare is however not the only challenge women face in Sierra Leone. According to UN figures, 73% of women are illiterate and only 37% attend secondary schools. Under MDG 3 that addresses the promotion of gender equality and empower women, gender disparity in primary and secondary education should be eliminated by 2015. Current figures however show that Sierra Leone is not going to meet those targets, the UN has claimed. In light of increasing domestic violence against women, Sierra Leone’s parliament is currently debating a new law that would criminalise acts of violence among couples. Women are also granted very few ownership rights, experts have warned. Although women constitute the largest group of agricultural labourers in the country, they are deprived of unlimited landowner rights and in some tribes they are not granted any right to possess personal items. “The attainment of the Gender Goal, MDG 3, will only be possible with provision of adequate resources, coordination monitoring and evaluation of programmes both in the gender specific sector and gender related sectors”, a UN summary on Sierra Leone’s MDG progress states. For more information on the MDGs in Sierra Leone, click here: UNDP in Sierra Leone Read the Amnesty International Report here: Amnesty International (pdf) Sources:  |
