The Deputy Minister of Justice, Madam Saptieu Elizabeth Saccoh, has addressed the Annual General Meeting of the L.A.W.Y.E.R Organisation, reaffirming government’s commitment to advancing gender justice in Sierra Leone through deep legal and constitutional reforms.
Speaking under the theme *“Beyond Reform: Entrenching Gender Justice Through Systemic Change,”* Madam Saccoh described the occasion as *“more than just an event; a profound homecoming.”* She highlighted her longstanding ties with the organisation, referring to it as *“not just a professional body, but a family—a lighthouse guiding us through the murky waters of injustice.”*
The Deputy Minister outlined recent legislative milestones, including the enactment of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act, which mandates a 30% quota for women in leadership and decision-making roles. *“We did not ask for a seat; we demanded a third of the chairs,”* she declared.
She further underscored that this progress will be sustained through the Constitutional Review Process, now underway, which seeks to entrench gender equality as a permanent constitutional guarantee. Specifically, she announced that Section 27 of the 1991 Constitution—which addresses freedom from discrimination—is being rewritten: *“While Section 27 is meant to guarantee freedom from discrimination, the few exemptions it makes still leave us vulnerable. That is why we are rewriting that section to close the gaps and make non-discrimination non-negotiable.”*
Madam Saccoh emphasized that reforms must protect ordinary citizens, not just elites. She pointed to the Repeal of Petty Offences, a policy now before Cabinet, as a critical step in dismantling laws that have historically *“criminalized poverty”* and disproportionately punished women. *“Repealing those laws would be a recognition that our justice system must be a shield for the weak, not a sword against them,”* she explained.
Turning to the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, she reaffirmed government’s zero-tolerance stance: *“We have no patience, no mercy, and no quarter for those who would commit such heinous acts. The Sexual Offences Act and the Model Court are not just laws and institutions; they are a declaration of zero tolerance.”* She confirmed that government will continue to strengthen sexual offences legislation and ensure perpetrators face justice.
She also highlighted the recent commencement of the Criminal Procedure Act 2024, which introduces enhanced safeguards for vulnerable witnesses, particularly victims of sexual offences, to ensure their participation in court processes without fear or intimidation.*“We are building a system where a victim’s courage is met with an immediate path to justice,”* she affirmed.
While celebrating these landmarks, the Deputy Minister cautioned that laws alone cannot bring change. She urged lawyers to actively enforce and embody the principles behind them:*“The legislation we pass is only as strong as the hands that enforce it. The laws we enact are only as just as the lawyers who wield them. You are the custodians of this new era.”*
Quoting Winnie Mandela, she closed with a call to dignity and self-liberation:*“If you are to free yourselves, you must break the chains of oppression yourselves. Any acceptance of humiliation is acceptance of inferiority.”*
The Deputy Minister’s address was not only celebratory but urgent—an insistence that Sierra Leone must move beyond reform to the task of entrenching gender justice through systemic change.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
