Particularly in Providing universal access to, and ensuring the completion of, primary education for all girls and boys is one of the key areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1995. Their voices are being drowned out by the resistance of conservative religious groups and reluctant government officials. The third one of these goals is to promote gender equality and empower women (MDGs Sierra Leone). All work is written to order. Despite the . He finally realizes that the life he was previously living is not the way he wants to live his life. These aspects have not completely disappeared in the modern day; they are just not as blunt as before. Some of these challenges include lack of economic independence, high illiteracy and entrenched customs and traditions and the lack of confidence to vie for public positions. Sierra Leone is also a part of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (MDGs). Awareness raising on relevant legislation involving gender based violence, support to access free legal counselling/representation, and access to medical care for the victims and survivors of gender-based violence are among the key activities. I think that, as a privileged woman, I need to help these women, but not by treating them like a child., Once this problem is out of the way, we must address Payals second point, which is that, education systems have a tendency toward stability rather than change, and tend to reproduce social hierarchy and inequality. There are multiple solutions to this problem. ", Last updated on May 22, 2009 by Ariel Berger. Young Haitian girls must learn many things before they are considered young women in their society. Freedom House gave Sudan the lowest possible ranking among repressive regimes during 2012. Introduction: Gender inequality towards women in Sierra Leone can be described as inequitable or impractical compared to the equality of women in developed/western countries. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. The women of Sierra Leone have faced and still face grave inequalities, but this issue has started to have some solid improvement. Only 93 percent of urban resident women, and 94 percent of urban resident men have active economic jobs that are paid (MDGs Sierra Leone). In recent years the government and its partners, including USAID have been focusing on providing women with access to financial services as it has the potential to act as a catalyst for enhancing womens economic, social and political empowerment. Gender Inequality In Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone Gender Analysis. Sierra Leone is deeply rooted in traditional attitudes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men (CEDAW, 2014); where decision-making rests with the men (fathers, husbands, brothers), including related to the health, well-being and overall welfare of women (FAO, n.d.). Overall, 10 million women and children are expected to benefit.7 Box1. This cycle of life has been around since ancient times and because of different factors, things have not changed in some countries or some part of the world. In Sierra Leone, roles, responsibilities and opportunities are apportioned on the basis that an individual is a male or female. Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Sierra Leone 2 Executive summary From July 4th-14th 2006, International Alert conducted a mapping of the incidence of GBV and the programmes that are being implemented to address it in Sierra Leone on behalf of Irish Aid. For the individual woman, poverty and gender inequality are key factors affecting demand for healthcare services. Once the women are in the work force though, neither them nor men always paid. Celebrate women leaders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response and beyond, I am Generation Equality: Working together to achieve a gender-equal world, UNFPA Executive Director on International Womens Day. Historically, women have been discriminated against and are heavily under-represented in the New York: United Nations Development Programme. Health promoters, many of them women, work with lead mothers to promote pro-nutrition actions among pregnant and lactating mothers for their own and their childrens benefit and to encourage mothers to attend prenatal and postnatal care. On the legal basis for the GEWE Policy, the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone provides the foundation for the principles of gender equality. We promote gender equality and women's empowerment across sectors by focusing on improving women's health, increasing their participation in governance at all levels through increasing the political, social and economic rights of women . It can be absolute or relative, chronic or temporary and is iften associated with inequality (Lok-Dessallien, R. 2000). Instead, they focused upon areas such as Freetown for investment which they would prosper the most, simply widening the gap between rural rich and urban poor. Many countries, including Sierra Leone, face a crisis in providing quality . What intrigued me the most was how females werent seen as priority enough to receive even the basic education level and were taught to be housewives from a very young age. If you are looking for current information, visit www.usaid.gov. Ben- Ari, Nirit , and Ernest Harsch. The world has to do a petition to the Sierra Leone government to abolish this law. As a result those disparities between rural and urban fostered during colonialism have continued. After these problems are addressed, it is easy to see how more education can provide a better world for the, Too often remarks such as selfish, self-centered, lacking in responsibility or cold were associated with childfree women (McQuillan et al., 2012). Promoting and protecting human rights requires considerable cultural fluency as UNFPA works in some of the most sensitive and intimate spheres of human existence, including sexuality, gender relations and population issues. The system required totally restructuring, which to this day has not been fulfilled. However, the issue of gender inequality and its effects on educational opportunities still needs to be addressed. Gender equality and women's empowerment in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is central to the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 5, to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls. The essay will open with some background on the main historical mechanism of colonialism and will follow onto look how this legacy combined with contemporary factors that have reproduced poverty and inequality socially, economically and politically. Father Ferree wrote the social justice and talked about the most vulnerable and how everyone has a duty to help those in need. 33% of men in Sierra Leone have reached at least a secondary education; only 20.1% of women will do the same. According to The global gender gap index 2021, Iceland has the highest gender equality, indexed at 0.89 whereas the United Arab Emirates has the worst gender equality Ranked at 22. According to the minister, the bill which is now a government document will be gazetted and laid in the well of parliament. There is also a very large amount of domestic violence towards women. UNFPA works with the Ministry of Gender and Childrens Affairs by providing capacity building through financial and technical assistance. Ismail is now an eager volunteer to take the message to his home in the provinces of Sierra Leone. The term intersectionality as stated by Susanne Hochreiter offers a way to understand the multiple grounds of identity when considering how the social world is constructed. Sierra Leone among the worst in the world. In workplace, both single women and men were expected to carry heavier workload. Learn how you can get involved and lend a hand. Gender discrimination and poverty. . Women and men are not treated the same way in education and arent equal in the literacy rate. Oxfam started operations in Sierra Leone in 1998, with relief work focused on emergency water, sanitation and hygiene provision in the context of the civil war that was ongoing at the time. However like many other countries, Sierra Leon is known for not providing these opportunities for girls. The history witnesses how people mistreated the others and how other people fought for freedom. On average, a girl can expect to receive only six years of schooling (Kargbo). Globally, some progress on womens rights has been achieved. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! Humans frequently face adversity throughout daily lives, whether minor challenges or major hurdles; these problems include unretainable lost objects or the death of a beloved individual. Speakers, including members of parliament and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament expressed their belief that the HeForShe Campaign will serve as a stepping board in putting an end to gender inequality by 2030. For example in the healthcare system, drugs which were given as aid ended up in pharmacies to be sold for profit, rather than dispersed to those most in need for free, as organisations like UNICEF had intended. Since then, progress has been made in expanding opportunities for women and girls to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. ", Saunders, Adelia. The essay will be concluded by a concise and critical assessment of the reasons behind the continuing existence of poverty and inequality in Sierra Leone. 2020. A combination of cultural prejudices and harsh economic realities join hands, in making life particularly difficult for our ladies. by Megan Borishansky Historical Background Colonized by the British as a territory for liberated slaves known as Creoles or "Krios", Sierra Leone's history is one of class divisions and gender inequality, compounded by the civil war of 1992-2002 and struggles over natural resources. Gender inequality in Sierra Leone, after colonialism among the worst in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been heightened further by the civil war of 1992-2002which was related in part to the struggle for control of "blood diamonds" but also to long-standing social and regional disparities, and to the collapse of formal institutions and widespread . 61% of women in the Sierra Leone will experience gender-based violence (GBV) in their lifetime. These charges included killing, rape, sexual violence, sexual slavery, slave labor, abduction, forced pregnancy and many other horrific things (Ben-Ari & Harsch). In fact, in Sierra Leone, rape is extremely common and is considered a "societal norm" (US Department of . There has been progress, today, more girls and women are literate than ever before, and in a third of developing countries, there are more girls in school than boys. In other words, should male and female be treated in the same way? In particular, it highlights women's increasing agency in acquiring knowledge, diffusing power, engaging in grassroots politics, and compelling the government to adopt more . UN Sierra Leone continues to partner with the Government of Sierra Leone in prioritizing gender equality in its development plan, the UN . A strong emphasis on the human rights, including reproductive rights, of individual women and men underpins all of UNFPA's work. The estimated level of inequality in Sierra Leone is also lower than for many settlements of the same . The death of a young woman in Sierra Leone, almost immediately after undergoing female genital mutilation, has sparked outrage and revived calls to end the practice.. Believers in equal rights for women are celebrating Sierra Leone's just-passed Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) Act, which mandates equal pay for equal work, maternity leave, financial inclusion, and a 30% quota of women in government appointments and private institutions with more than 25 employees (AYV News, 2022). Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh Signing the HeForShe Board. Women account for 52 per cent of the total population in Sierra Leone yet occupy less than 20 percent of elected positions. In 2022, global gender gap index for Sierra Leone was 0.67 index. Inequality is state of being unequal, particularly in rights, status and opportunities (UN 2015) this could mean in living standards, gender and many other metrics. Gender inequality is a pervasive problem in many parts of the world, including Africa. Our society thrives off of each person being unique from everyone else, but still being treated equally. According to the new bill, women will now have to make up one-third of the West African country's parliament. There is a clear preference for boys' education, it is mostly because people think that investing in girls' education is just a waste of money, since there will not be the one that support a family financially. Sudanese women account for a larger percentage of the national . Almost 50% of Sierra Leonean females endure "sexual or physical violence during their lifetime." . These dystopian worlds attempting to live in a community where equality is the focus, have failed. However, work still needs to be done in Sierra Leone to achieve gender equality. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. Whereas those in a privileged position of wealth and influence, who first seeked the benefits of colonial education in Freetown, will remain in school and go onto higher education where they can secure the best jobs, resulting in another reason for the widening gap of inequality. It seemed like a very strict world to be living in at that time. The rural families, also considered those in the poorest quintile of income, require their children to assist in labour, which is why over 53% of children (World Bank 2014) in the poorest quintile leave education before they complete secondary education. - and in our heart there is the first peace we have known in 20 years., The article forced me to ponder about the existence of unfairness and injustice which inevitably and constantly hinders society because the individual discussed in the article experiences these factors in an unusual and rather extreme circumstance. It helps mobilize their productive capacity to alleviate poverty and to maximize economic output. Women account for 52 percent of the total population in Sierra Leone yet occupy less than 20 . Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh Signing the HeForShe Board. The roles women are expected to play are general expectations such as cooking, cleaning, and staying at home with the children, leaving women in Sierra Leone with very . Nevertheless, gender inequality and denial of womens rights are still prevalent at all levels in Sierra Leonean society even though the women for50.8 per cent of thepopulation. Area 1: overarching legal frameworks and public life, Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (% of total number of seats), Proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies of local government, Proportion of women in managerial positions, Proportion of women in senior and middle management positions, We now have more gender-related SDG data than ever, but is it enough?. Education is very important in order to explore the potentials that will drive every person to their future pathways of success. Published by Statista Research Department , Sep 22, 2022. 602 Words3 Pages. 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