By Kemo Cham
The leadership of the women’s rights advocacy group, 50/50, has hailed President Julius Maada Bio for his stance on women and girls’ empowerment.
The group which paid a courtesy call on the President on Wednesday also praised the president’s policies aimed at protecting women and girls, according to a news dispatch from State House.
50/50 is a non-partisan organization which campaigns for increased political participation and equal representation of women in decision-making processes.
The delegation to State House was headed by veteran women’s rights campaigner, Dr Nemata Majeks-Walker, who is founder and first president of the organization. She was quoted saying that they were appreciative of President Bio’s passion for women in the country, noting that they as an organization had also done some good work by training and empowering women in readiness for national responsibilities.
Mrs Walker expressed hope that the ‘New Direction’ administration would continue to bring more women in governance.
Outgone President of the Group, Dr Fatou Taqi, who was also part of the delegation, was quoted saying that they were grateful that the presidency made time to engage them, adding that they were aware of the work of the President in terms of national inclusion. She also said that they were aware that the government was getting more women to participate and she hailed the administration’s efforts in reviewing laws geared towards protecting women and girls.
Dr Taqi in November questioned Bio’s gender credentials in response to the last cabinet reshuffle in which the president appointed only one women out of 17 appointments. That move by the president received wide criticism from women’s rights groups.
On Wednesday Dr Taqi said while they acknowledge the appointments made by the president of women, they were hoping for more to give the women folks the opportunity to play their role in national development.
“We acknowledge that women are in the majority in the country and we see the role women play in various aspects in the country. We are aware of the appointments you have made and we call for more of such. We are partners in development and we will like to work with your government to see the Sierra Leone that we all envisage,” she said.
Ms Taqi also had praises for the First Lady for her campaign against sexual and gender based violence through her “Hands Off Our Girls” initiative. She noted that the initiative shared a common goal with the 50/50 Group to ensure the elimination of all forms of abuse against women and girls.
President Bio said he considered the meeting as part of an ongoing dialogue with women, noting that the fundamental issue he had started to address was to provide equal opportunities for girls in schools. The president stressed that only when girls were educated would they be able to take up leadership positions.
Bio cited his government’s flagship Free Quality Education and a policy on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which provides scholarship at university level for women as a key part of this goal.
President Bio also reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring the attainment of the global target of 30% quota for women’s representation.
“We have shown commitment in terms of the many things we are doing for the girl child. Teenage pregnancy, early marriage and rape are critical issues that we all must pay attention to. We have to pay attention to the next generation of women and we are making a national appeal to save their lives and provide a better future for them. I want us to work together to change the story of our women and make it sustainable,” he said.
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