FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 11 December 2023 – As part of a series of events to mark 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, on 8 December 2023, UNFPA convened a youth-led dialogue on preventing and responding to gender-based violence in partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
The event brought together more than 200 young women and men from across Sierra Leone and featured the launch of the Bodyright Sierra Leone campaign against digital violence at Family Kingdom in Freetown. The campaign, which is aimed at building a movement to end online violence, harassment and abuse, was unveiled by the UNFPA Country Representative, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, and the Minister of Information and Civic Education, together with members of the United Nations Youth Advisory Group.
In Sierra Leone, more than 60% of women and girls above the age of 15 experience violence in their lifetimes, and 61% of ever married women report experiencing physical, sexual or emotional violence by their spouse or partner. Increasingly, women and girls are also facing technology-facilitated violence, including cyber-harassment, hate speech, and non-consensual and abusive use of their images and videos.
Speaking at the dialogue, Nadia Rasheed, the UNFPA Country Representative, emphasized that violence against women and girls has enormous costs for individuals, families and society. “Violence can leave deep physical and emotional scars, and undermines the health, dignity and security of women and girls. As we celebrate the strength of survivors, we also recognize that violence robs the nation from fully benefitting from the contributions and potential of women and girls,” Ms. Rasheed underscored. She called on young people to speak up and speak out to break the silence surrounding gender based-violence and to continuously challenge all forms of violence, harassment and abuse, whether online or offline.
Dr. Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children's Affairs, stated that the Government of Sierra Leone was proud to launch the Bodyright campaign. She highlighted that Sierra Leone has taken concrete steps to reduce violence against women and girls, including through strengthening of the sexual offenses act and the enactment of the Cyber Crime bill into law in 2020 to address online violence. She committed that her ministry would continue to strengthen legal and policy frameworks to address gender-based violence in all its forms.
Chernor Bah, Minister of Education and Civic Education, described the Bodyright campaign as a much-needed campaign because it addresses issues at the foundation of individual human freedoms. The Minister emphasized that young people have the fundamental right to dignity and control of their bodies and images, adding that no one should be subjected to discrimination or abuse because of who they are. He committed the government’s backing to the campaign, including through ensuring that the safety and protection of young women online would be central to his ministry’s initiatives for civic education and digital literacy.
Monica Ghaliwa, a youth representative, disability rights advocate and founder of Inspiration for Human Development, highlighted that violence against women and girls is on the rise online in Sierra Leone, and welcomed the Bodyright campaign as an excellent platform for raising awareness on the effects of violence and the urgent need for reform.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Youth Affairs, Marlon Bockarie Konteh, Director of Policy, Research, Planning and Knowledge Management in the Ministry of Youth Affairs, said that knowledge, the institutional and legal environment, and the active involvement of youth are the foundations for addressing gender-based violence. He added, "the Ministry of Youth Affairs is happy to be a part of this campaign, as the government has established institutions, processes, and mechanisms to tackle gender-based violence. The Bodyright movement works to promote equality, autonomy, and respect. You young people are here to serve as ambassadors, with critical roles in ending gender-based violence.”
As part of the dialogue, young people led focused roundtable discussions on the role of youth in preventing and responding to violence, engagement of men and boys in ending violence, and the influence of technology and digitization on violence, harassment and abuse. The roundtables identified key priorities for addressing gender-based violence and technology-facilitated violence, and highlighted the leadership role of young people in raising awareness, advocating for action and transforming harmful social and gender norms.
Fatmata Jaria Bah, a Bodyright champion and Deputy Minister of Information of the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government underscored that "the Bodyright movement is critical to our efforts to end violence against women. Many people are violating women's and girls' rights on social media and impacting their mental health and well-being. This initiative will help in increasing public awareness of the importance of bodily autonomy and consent.”
Giving his reflections at the end of the event, Santos Kamara, founder of Mother Choice Foundation, said the fact that 40% of women globally have experienced online violence serves as a wake-up call for collective action to safeguard the rights and safety of women and girls, adding that “we need to work together with all partners to stop digital violence.”
Phebian Swill of Africa Young Voices moderated the event.
To learn more about the Bodyright campaign, visit unfpa.org/bodyright or follow the hashtags #Bodyright and #BodyrightSLE on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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About UNFPA: UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
