Violence Against Women
Source: allAfrica.com
Freetown — In a bid to address maternal mortality, gender based violence, early marriage, Bondo initiation, HIV and AIDS in the country, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has taken a campaign to Tonkolili district as part of a pilot project in 39 chiefdoms in Bombali, Koinadugu and Bo districts to scale up community stakeholders.
The Tonkolili district engagement, like other pilot districts, started with stakeholders including traditional birth attendants TBAs and civil society groups where UNFPA trained and informed them on community empowerment programme and theformation of community advocacy groups with the supervision of social welfare ministry.
After the Tonkolili training, chiefs, Sowae, TBAs and partners pledged their supports and were provided with mega phones, tape recorders and other outreach materials to enhance effective mobilisation. Though community people admitted they are inept about GBV, MMR, registration of customary marriages and other related laws, some of them said they violate the rights of their partners unknowingly but with the amount of sensitization they have received from the TBAs and the drama group, they will never repeat it again.
Paramount, section and town chiefs too pledged to institute bye laws in their respective localities to address MMR, early marriages, teenage pregnancy and GBV. They expressed gratitude to UNFPA and the government for taking the sensitization to their chiefdoms. The paramount chief of Kafe Simiria Chiefdom, Chief Alimamy Bangura II, expressed appreciation to UNFPA saying he will be happier if the programme is replicated in other sections in his chiefdom.
Head of Sowae and Bondo society in the chiefdom, Regina Bangura, assured the group of their total support and commitment in ensuring that no under aged girl is initiated into the Bondo secret society. Councillor Abdul P. Lakoh said they have agreed that no woman should die during delivery, no under aged marriage and initiation of teenage girls and other related violence on women and girls. The councillor used the gathering to plead for supports so as to replicate and continue the sensitization in other communities.
In Kalasongoiya Chiefdom, TBAs pleaded with pregnant women from far distance to attend clinic during their pregnancy for proper medical check up for their babies. Fatmata Kanu said as TBAs, they should not involve in any home delivering but rather refer them to clinics. During the sensitization in other chiefdoms, men pledged to refrain from all their wrongdoings which according to them was not their fault. They however expressed that most violence at home are triggered by women.