UN Women Commends Sierra Leone’s Gender Progress, Urges For Stronger Implementation
The Regional Director of UN Women for West and Central Africa Dr. Maxime Houinato, has praised Sierra Leone for making notable strides in advancing gender equality, while cautioning that weak implementation of laws remains a major challenge.
Speaking during a press briefing at the end of a high-level visit, the official revealed that engagements were held with President Julius Maada Bio and other senior government officials, alongside meetings with farmers and development partners.
He described the visit as “fruitful,” highlighting significant improvements in women’s economic opportunities, social transformation, and legal protections. However, the UN Women representative stressed that passing laws alone is not enough.
“Women and girls do not eat laws,” the official noted. “What they need is the full implementation of those laws so they can be protected and empowered in their daily lives.”
He commended Sierra Leone for aligning its legal and constitutional frameworks with international gender commitments and for introducing innovative accountability mechanisms. One such initiative is a gender accountability framework that tracks government delivery on commitments to women and reports progress directly to the presidency on a quarterly basis.
“This is a model that many countries can learn from,” the official said, emphasizing that measurable accountability is key to ensuring promises translate into real change.
Comparatively, Sierra Leone was positioned as making steady progress within the region surpassing some countries while still trailing others. Reference was made to Senegal, where gender parity laws have ensured near-equal representation in parliament, and other African countries where female representation remains significantly low.
Dr. Maxine praised the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio for demonstrating strong political will in promoting women’s inclusion and protection.
He noted that Sierra Leone has made significant strides in aligning its legal and constitutional frameworks with international gender commitments, describing the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act as a landmark reform already yielding results in women’s political participation.
“The level of commitment and clarity of vision at the highest level of leadership is commendable,” Dr. Maxine said. “Sierra Leone is showing that when there is political will, progress on gender equality can be accelerated.”
He further highlighted the swift implementation of the Act, pointing to increased female representation in Parliament and public appointments following recent elections.
Despite clear political commitment and policy direction, the briefing underscored persistent gaps in implementation, particularly in addressing gender-based violence.
The official highlighted systemic issues, noting that many cases of domestic violence go unreported, and even when reported, only a small fraction leads to prosecution or meaningful sentencing.
“The vision is there, the commitment is there, but implementation requires everyone from civil servants to community leaders to play their part,” the official said.
He urged the media to play a more responsible role in advancing gender justice by focusing on legal accountability rather than sensationalizing cases, particularly those involving sexual violence.
He encouraged journalists to raise public awareness of laws and rights, especially at the community level, where information gaps remain significant.
“Where there is a law and people don’t understand it, the media must bridge that gap,” Dr. Maxine stated.
UN Women reaffirmed its support for government-led initiatives, including gender-responsive procurement policies that prioritize women producers in public sector purchasing.
This approach, the official explained, would ensure women farmers can move beyond subsistence and access structured markets, including government institutions and UN agencies.
While acknowledging Sierra Leone’s progress, the UN Women delegation emphasized that achieving gender equality requires a collective national effort.
“It takes a whole nation to implement a vision. Government leadership is critical, but citizens, institutions, and communities must all step up to ensure that no woman or girl is left behind,” he concluded.
