By Emma Black
In a bold step toward strengthening the national response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the Sierra Leone police and Rainbo Initiatives convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at Rainbo’s headquarters in Freetown.
The strategic dialogue brought together key stakeholders including Mr. Daniel Kettor, Director of Rainbo Initiatives, superintendent Mohamed S.Y. Mansaray, head of the FSU; and Mr. Abu Backarr Kanu, operations officer, among others, their shared objective: to harmonise medical reporting standards in SGBV cases and enhance collaboration between healthcare providers and law enforcement.
Superintendent Mansaray noted that fragmented and inconsistent medical reporting has long posed challenges to effective case investigation and prosecution, he stressed the urgent need for a standardised and unified medical reporting system particularly for cases involving sexual assault, physical abuse, and age assessment.
A uniform reporting format will reduce delays, eliminate confusion, and improve the accuracy and timeliness of SGBV investigations, Superintendent Mansaray said, most importantly, it will strengthen our support for survivors seeking justice.”
The discussion also underscored the critical importance of confidentiality, especially when handling cases involving minors. Stakeholders proposed broadening the dialogue to include the director of public prosecutions (DPP) and the chief justice, ensuring the harmonisation effort is both legally sound and ethically aligned.
To sustain momentum, participants agreed on the need for targeted training sessions for medical personnel, police officers, prosecutors, and judiciary staff, these workshops will focus on the effective use of the proposed medical reporting format and on strengthening inter-agency collaboration.
The meeting concluded with a clear roadmap: the drafting of a unified SGBV reporting template and the rollout of a coordinated training plan, a follow-up meeting, to be led by the DPP, will bring together representatives from the Judiciary, FSU, Rainbo Initiatives, and the Ministry of Justice to finalise the framework, this partnership is a major milestone in improving how we respond to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, said Mr. Mansaray, when we speak with one voice and act with one purpose, we can truly deliver justice, Rainbo Initiatives and the FSU reiterated their commitment to working collaboratively to close systemic gaps, enhance survivor protection, and ensure timely justice in SGBV cases across Sierra Leone.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Wednesday, June 11TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
