A baseline survey by TROCAIRE in 2011 singled out the Northern Province of Sierra Leone as a region with high level of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). According to the report, this was in part due to the culture and traditions of the people, which promote masculinity, whereby women and girls are considered as secondary in every local issue. Incidents of wife battery, rape, teenage pregnancy, forced- early female marriage, among others, were commonplace. Focus group discussions and various one-on-one interviews showed that incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence were prevalent. Worse still, the perpetrators escaped justice as there was no mechanism to make them account. Against this backdrop, there was the urgent intervention of several nongovernmental organizations, including TROCAIRE, to help address this social menace.
Since 2007, the Sierra Leone Parliament passed a number of progressive laws aimed at protecting the rights of women as well as ending discrimination against them. Implementing those laws has been one of the greatest challenges, though. As part of efforts to help bridge the implementation gap in those laws and help transform the negative attitudes and behaviours against the women and girls in Bombali District, TROCAIRE partnered with a number of local organisations, including the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) to implement a five-year gender project titled: “Enhancing Access To Justice”. The project essentially seeks to promote and protect the rights of women and girls, while increasing access to justice for SGBV survivors. CARL is currently implementing this project in 12 communities in the Bombali District – communities that are confronted with similar challenges relating to violence and discrimination.
Addressing these challenges required a diagnosis of the inherent cultural beliefs and attitudes of the communities. Unbelievably, there was high level of acceptance of violence among the communities, which accounted for the lack of willingness by community members at all levels to intervene in SGBV-related cases. For most communities, physical, economic and emotional forms of violence was used to implant “discipline” in women, while it was taboo to speak up against sexual violence of any form.
As part of the project’s wide strategy, CARL embarked on massive education aimed at increasing the knowledge of community members regarding the causes, effects and implications of SGBV for women and girls and the future of their communities. The public education programmes took the form of community and media outreach (radio discussions, jingles, town hall meetings and focus group discussions). These sessions provided a unique opportunity of bringing both victims and perpetrators under the same roof to discuss issues, hitherto considered as “no go” areas. Gradually, the project beneficiaries embraced the idea of meeting and discussing those common social challenges. Through these sessions, community members began to proffer solutions to addressing SGBV in their communities.
One of the key approaches used to stem the increase in SGBV and address the negative male attitude towards women is to set up local groups to discuss and develop their own strategy. In Mateneh village, a community that once experienced a high incidence of teenage pregnancy and other forms of sexual violence, local community groups set up by CARL collaborated with the police to successfully prosecute 3 commercial motor cycle riders for rape and sexual penetration. This action was the beginning of a collective effort to stem the wave of teenage pregnancy in the community.
In addition, as part of efforts to strengthen the implementation gap in our laws as well as support the efforts of law enforcement agencies, CARL developed a system that seeks to strengthen local referral mechanisms. Through this system, volunteers were recruited and trained in basic human rights and gender justice laws. Their role is to help minimize incidents of violence through education, and where incidents of violence are alleged to have happened, help the victims to file complaints. These community-based volunteers also help collect data, which is very useful for planning and advocacy purposes. A total of 37 volunteers were recruited and trained, and are resident monitors in the 12 project communities. Essentially their role is to preventing, reporting and following up on SGBV related issues in their communities.
Since their formal establishment, they have been able to earn their communities’ confidence and recognition to an extent that even traditional authorities have come to rely immensely on their energy and commitment to women’s rights issues. These monitors have been uncompromising but peaceful, and the volunteers have helped to keep the discussion about SGBV issues alive, while together helping to promoting accountability and justice for gender-based crimes.
With their presence in each community, the monitors have contributed to strengthening the referral pathways for SGBV, and have made it much easier for victims to step up and complain. Their follow up skills are amazing, and have been able to establish a useful partnership with the local units of the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police. The monitors work with alleged victims from the moment they are informed, follow through the investigation and prosecution, if any.
The monitors have served as an effective conduit for reporting SGBV related cases to the police. Since the start of 2014, the volunteers have helped about 75 cases of various forms violence to be reported to the Family Support Unit, with most of them relating to physical and economic violence. Of the 75 reported cases, 15 relate to sexual offences and 10 of them are currently before the courts. The Court Monitors are also following the proceedings to help enhance the credibility of the process.
Chief Thulley of Makump Bana, one of the project communities, refers to the Monitors as “vigilantes of SGBV”. He has made an undertaking to support them at all times, noting their immense contribution to restore morale sanity to his community. Chief Thulley, like many other chiefs, thinks of these Monitors as “a permanent structure of sanity” in their communities.