By Sylvester Samba.
A group of Child Rights Activists is calling for the speedy establishment of a forensic lab, strengthening of the capacity of the Family Support Unit (FSU) with more logistics, training
of personnel and separate budget allocation, strengthening child safeguarding measures in schools, recruitment of more social workers and deploy them at chiefdom level to be facilitating, prevention initiatives, ensure adequate protection of victims during investigations and put measures in place to investigate and prosecute online sexual violence, including cyber bully, particularly of adolescent girls.
The group further pleaded with the government to replicate the Sexual Violence Court at district level. The Child Rights Coalition, Child Welfare Society, Sierra Leone and Woman Against Violence in Society (WAVES) have all come together in calling on President Julius Maada Bio’s government to address the underlying drivers including gender and discrimination at national and community level.
According to a joint press release issued on Tuesday 18th May, 2021, the group further appealed for the recruitment of more State Counsels and High Court Judges to deploy them across all districts to facilitate speedy prosecution.
In conclusion, the group also called on the government to broaden school health programs and comprehensive sexuality education in curricula, adapt school infrastructure to be suitable for all girls, including teenage mothers and to put case management and referral systems in place at schools for pregnant girls and children with vulnerabilities.
