By Isatu Bai Kamara
The Government of Sierra Leone has renewed its commitment to tackling gender-based violence (GBV), with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MoGCA) intensifying efforts to strengthen national coordination, improve survivor support systems, and enhance data-driven interventions aimed at protecting women, girls, and other vulnerable groups across the country.
This renewed commitment was emphasized during the Quarterly National Committee on Gender-Based Violence Steering Committee Meeting held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Freetown. The gathering brought together representatives from government ministries, development partners, civil society organizations, and institutions working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
The meeting served as an important platform for stakeholders to assess progress made in implementing national GBV interventions, identify persistent challenges, and agree on practical strategies to improve prevention, protection, prosecution, and coordinated response mechanisms throughout Sierra Leone.
Addressing participants, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Isata Mahoi, described the Steering Committee as a vital mechanism for driving collective action against gender-based violence. She stressed that no single institution could effectively address the problem in isolation and called for stronger collaboration among all partners involved in safeguarding the rights and welfare of survivors.
According to Dr. Mahoi, regular engagement among committee members remains essential in ensuring that commitments translate into meaningful action. She urged institutions to strengthen communication, increase coordination, and work collectively to ensure that national policies and interventions produce measurable results.
The Minister also highlighted the urgent need to expand public awareness campaigns, noting that many communities still have limited understanding of what constitutes gender-based violence and the legal protections available to victims and survivors.
She encouraged development partners and civil society organizations to simplify public education messages and deliver them in local languages so that communities across the country can better understand their rights, recognize various forms of abuse, and appreciate the legal consequences facing perpetrators.
Dr. Mahoi further underscored the importance of accurate and comprehensive data collection, emphasizing that reliable information on survivors, reported incidents, and perpetrators is critical for effective planning, evidence-based policymaking, resource allocation, and the delivery of quality support services.
Reviewing previous resolutions, Deputy Chief Director Marian Goodie Sowonie presented the minutes and action points from the committee’s last meeting. She outlined progress made in reviewing the national GBV draft document, refining coordination mechanisms among stakeholders, revising the committee’s Terms of Reference, strengthening the national GBV data dashboard, and improving systems for documenting and tracking survivor information.
National GBV Coordinator Ramatu Kargbo also updated participants on ongoing national coordination activities. She highlighted a series of meetings, capacity-building workshops, and targeted interventions conducted to reinforce Sierra Leone’s GBV response framework.
Kargbo explained that stronger documentation and improved management of survivor data remain central to measuring the effectiveness of interventions and identifying areas requiring additional support. She noted that reliable data enables institutions to make informed decisions while ensuring that survivors receive timely and appropriate assistance.
Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Gender Specialist Mrs. Kadiatu Bachalle Taylor reaffirmed the organization’s continued support for Sierra Leone’s efforts to eliminate gender-based violence. She observed that stronger collaboration among committee members, coupled with effective leadership from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, would significantly improve the effectiveness and sustainability of GBV interventions nationwide.
She emphasized that coordinated action remains one of the most effective tools for addressing violence against women and girls, while ensuring that services reach survivors in both urban and rural communities.
Also contributing to the discussions, the Head of Programmes at Rainbo Initiative, Bob Lamin, highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen survivor support systems within universities and tertiary institutions. He said awareness campaigns targeting young people continue to expand while institutional mechanisms are being reinforced to provide appropriate care, counselling, and referral services for survivors.
The meeting featured an extensive interactive session during which participants openly discussed existing gaps affecting the national response to gender-based violence. Several recommendations were proposed to strengthen coordination and improve service delivery across institutions.
Among the key recommendations were improved access to survivor data for authorized institutions, stronger referral pathways between service providers, enhanced information sharing among committee members, consistent tracking of reported cases from initial complaint to prosecution, wider community awareness campaigns, stronger reporting mechanisms, and sustained public education aimed at promoting positive behavioural change.
Participants agreed that community engagement remains one of the most effective strategies for preventing gender-based violence, encouraging survivors to seek help, challenging harmful social norms, and reducing the stigma often associated with reporting abuse.
The stakeholders further acknowledged that strengthening partnerships between government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, community leaders, and local authorities will be essential in ensuring that national interventions reach vulnerable populations across every district.
As the meeting concluded, members unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration, improving national data management systems, strengthening institutional accountability, and reinforcing Sierra Leone’s protection framework in the ongoing fight against gender-based violence.
The renewed commitments, participants noted, represent another important step toward building a safer society where women, girls, and all vulnerable persons can live free from violence, discrimination, and abuse while enjoying equal protection under the law.