Women's Rights In Sierra Leone Essay

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As a female who has been born and raised in the United States, I have been lucky enough to experience equality and freedom, just like every other citizen in my country. I have rights to my own body, I have equal access to education and healthcare, and I am generally treated as an important and equal member of society. In Sierra Leone, however—a constitutional republic in West Africa—women are not granted all of these rights and are treated, to some degree, as second-class citizens. Sierra Leone has had a history of struggle and conflict, especially in the area of women’s rights. There is widespread discrimination against Sierra Leonean women in terms of education, medical care, employment, and overall treatment. Recently, women have been attempting to make pushes towards governmental and societal changes so as to elevate the status of women in Sierra Leone, but I believe that only a shift in cultural and societal beliefs and values will have enough of an effect on Sierra Leone to actually make a positive impact on the progression of women’s rights in Sierra Leone. II. History and Background a) Civil War Sierra Leone came into the international spotlight during Sierra Leone’s civil war that started in 1991 and lasted until 2002. Although the exact cause of the civil war is still widely disputed, Sierra Leone’s rich resource of diamonds was definitely a factor. The civil war began when a rebel group, called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted to overthrow the government and then took control of large portions of Sierra Leonean land, which was rich in diamonds. It then turned into a widespread civil war (Jang 2012). This was when the mistreatment of Sierra Leonean women came to the forefront. Almost 30% of the fighters... ... middle of paper ... ...l norms shifted so that women were considered equal citizens, then Sierra Leoneans would want to comply with the legislation and would be appreciative of the pro-women governmental stance. The best way to achieve a change in cultural and societal beliefs is to educate and the younger generation and spread a more sensitive cultural ideology throughout the young Sierra Leoneans. Achieving economic and social stability in the lives of all Sierra Leoneans, especially women, is a long-term feat that may take decades to achieve. If the younger generation wants to make a change in their culture, a change that includes respecting and supporting women, then it has the possibility of occurring. Sierra Leoneans are capable of re-branding their nation and making women an integral and revered component—as long as they are willing to take the time and make the effort to do so.

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