H.E. First Lady of Sierra Leone
“HANDS OFF OUR GIRLS”
The initiative and campaign of the First Lady of Sierra Leone,
Her Excellency Madame Fatima Maada Bio
!! Join us on Saturday, 25 September 2021 from 2-4 pm !! (see flyer below)
The Give Them a Hand Foundation and perennial partner, United African Congress, hold the first Lady of Sierra Leone, Madame Fatima Maada Bio, in very high regard for the outstanding work she has been doing on behalf of women and girls since her husband H.E Maada Bio came to power in 2018. She has made a big difference in helping girls to know their self-worth, to care for themselves and to stand up to abusers, knowing that the law of the land will defend them.
Hands Off Our Girls is her flagship program. This campaign was launched in December 2018 specifically to bring awareness, influence policy and support women and girls to have access to reproductive healthcare and treatment for conditions like Fistula and Cancer, and to eliminate such abuses like early childhood marriage, gender-based violence and rape.
The campaign is very personal to the First Lady and she feels passionate about its success. Since launching the campaign, she has toured the entire nation, meeting with Paramount Chiefs, Imams, Pastors and Tribal Leaders to sensitise the nation on the impact of these issues affecting women and girls.
Her advocacy has had considerable success improving the quality of life for young girls and women in Sierra Leone and empowering them to speak out against being abused, evidenced by the increase in police department reports about rape and gender-based violence. Women’s and girls’ voices are now being heard when they report sexual predators and abusers in their homes and communities.
Her Excellency’s campaign has been recognized by the African Union as a champion for empowerment of girls and women in neighbouring countries in Africa.
Below are some of the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign achievements to date:
- The Sexual Offence Act was updated in September 2019, now requiring a 15-year minimum imprisonment for a rape conviction, up dramatically from a 2-year maximum incarceration.
- Conviction for child rape has been updated to life imprisonment from a 2-year maximum sentence.
- A Fast-Track Special Court for rape cases was launched in 2020, which turns cases around within a week compared to a previous two-year wait.
- The campaign sponsored and facilitated training of 40 medical doctors to treat rape cases and testify in court, up dramatically from just one doctor in the entire country.
- Free sanitary pads were distributed to girls attending government-assisted schools in Sierra Leone, allowing them to maintain their education which was previously often interrupted during their monthly period.
The campaign is currently working on the following initiatives:
- Construction of a hospital with 100 beds, already 75% complete.
- Construction of a 7-building facility that will house survivors of rape and gender-based violence, provide counseling services, psychosocial support, medical treatment, and a family support unit – now 50% complete.
Bravo First Lady, you are doing great work for your country and for Africa.
To view the program live and donate, click the link(s) below:
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