By Ramatulai Leigh

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of Sierra Leone’s most pressing human rights challenges pervasive, devastating, and deeply entrenched in the nation’s social fabric, it affects women and girls of all ages, across urban and rural divides, and cuts through every social and economic class. Beyond the immediate trauma it inflicts on survivors, GBV undermines public health, education, economic productivity, and national development.

While Sierra Leone has taken steps through laws and awareness campaigns, the persistently high rates of GBV underscore the urgent need for a more comprehensive and transformative response.

GBV manifests in multiple, interconnected forms: physical assault, sexual violence, intimate partner abuse, and harmful traditional practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). With 83% of women aged 15–49 having undergone FGM, Sierra Leone has one of the highest prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Child marriage, too, remains widespread, robbing girls of education, economic independence, and bodily autonomy.

Together, these practices trap women and girls in cycles of violence, poverty, and disempowerment perpetuating generational inequality.

At the heart of Sierra Leone’s GBV crisis lies a deep-rooted patriarchal culture that normalizes violence and sustains male dominance. In many communities, cases are resolved by local elders through customary law rather than formal courts, often pressuring survivors into silence or reconciliation. This parallel system fosters a culture of impunity, where perpetrators rarely face justice.

The persistence of GBV is also tied to economic vulnerability, lack of access to justice, and entrenched social attitudes that view domestic abuse as a “private matter.”

The impact of GBV extends far beyond survivors. Physically and emotionally, women are left with lifelong scars. Psychologically, trauma often goes untreated, affecting not only survivors but also their children, who may grow up internalizing violence as normal.

At a societal level, the costs are staggering. Women excluded from education and formal employment due to early marriage, sexual violence, or domestic abuse reduce the nation’s collective productivity. According to the World Bank, GBV significantly undermines women’s earnings, human capital, and long-term contributions to economic growth. Put simply when women are silenced and sidelined, Sierra Leone’s progress stalls.

There have been notable policy milestones. The Domestic Violence Act (2007) and the Sexual Offences Act (2012, amended in 2019) strengthened penalties for offenders and created specialized courts for faster prosecution. The government declared a national emergency on rape in 2019, while the hands off our girls’ campaign sparked national dialogue. Hotlines and survivor-centered one-Stop Centres, led by groups like the Rainbo Initiative and supported by UNFPA, provide critical medical, psychosocial, and legal aid.

Yet, barriers remain. Underreporting is rampant due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and economic dependency on abusers. Conviction rates remain low. Crucially, Sierra Leone still lacks a comprehensive national ban on FGM, reflecting the practice’s deep cultural and political entrenchment.

Ending GBV in Sierra Leone requires more than legal frameworks it demands a cultural transformation. Solutions must include, Stronger law enforcement and accountability to end impunity, expanded survivor services with adequate funding for safe shelters, counseling, and legal aid, Community-driven change by challenging harmful norms, with men and boys engaged as allies, education and empowerment for women and girls to claim their rights and futures, a firm national stance on FGM, backed by law and community advocacy.

GBV is not just a women’s issue it is a national crisis that undercuts Sierra Leone’s health, stability, and economic potential, to break the silence and the cycle, the nation must confront uncomfortable truths, dismantle systemic inequalities, and commit to lasting cultural and institutional reforms, only then can Sierra Leone move toward a future where every woman and girl lives free from fear, with dignity, and with equal opportunity to thrive.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday,20th August 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)