Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, 11 December 2024
The Honourable Member of the Sierra Leone Parliament representing Tikonko Chiefdom, Bo District, Hon. Beatrice Maaya Kangbai, has highlighted government’s significant reforms in gender laws at the high-level roundtable meeting during the Global Multi-stakeholder Summit on Advancing Gender Equality in Nationality Laws.This session, part of the Global Multi-stakeholder Summit, aims to align national practices with global best standards.
Sierra Leone’s Parliamentary delegation actively participated in the Global Multi-stakeholder Summit on Advancing Gender Equality in Nationality Laws, held from 10 to 11 December 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.
This high-profile event, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Equality Now, the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and UN Women, convened representatives from 24 countries where women still lack the right to confer nationality on their children equally with men. The summit seeks to empower stakeholders to develop collaborative strategies, forge partnerships, and propose actionable solutions to advance gender-equal nationality rights.
Sierra Leone’s participation focused on sharing insights from the country’s historic 2017 amendment to the Citizenship Act, which ensures that both women and men have equal rights to confer nationality on their children.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Beatrice Maaya Kangbai emphasized Sierra Leone’s commitment to fostering international cooperation and strengthening frameworks for advancing gender equality in nationality laws. She noted that Sierra Leone’s active participation in such meetings is a significant step toward aligning national practices with global best standards.
Honourable Beatrice Maaya Kangbai acknowledged the complex cultural, social, and environmental challenges, underscoring the importance of platforms like the IPU Secretariat in building trust, enhancing technical partnerships, and providing multilateral and national solutions to deep-rooted stereotypes.
Sierra Leone’s dedication to gender equality practices has been demonstrated through progressive policies, particularly the new Gender and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022. This Act introduces stringent provisions to promote women’s participation in politics, protect their rights in marriage and inheritance, and combat gender-based violence across all sectors.
“The Act emphasizes that women’s rights across all sectors, makes provisions for increased appointment of women to decision-making positions and structures, achieve a minimum of 30% representation, to promote gender equality in employment and training. These laws aim to ensure equal rights, opportunities, and protections for individuals, employment, political participation, healthcare, and inheritance,” said Honourable Beatrice Maaya Kangbai.
Additionally, the government has enacted the Domestic Violence Act, 2007, the Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (amended in 2019), the Devolution of Estates Act, and the Customary Marriage and Divorce Act, 2009.
She stated that under the pragmatic leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone’s government has implemented several reforms aligned with the Big Five Game Changers initiative. These reforms focus on improving transparency and accountability in gender equality in employment and training, ensuring women’s rights through socio-economic empowerment, and enhancing employment practices to improve the welfare of women in communities. These efforts are creating an enabling environment for women to thrive, fostering competitiveness, and providing equitable opportunities across all sectors.
Honourable Kangbai highlighted the crucial role of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in fostering technical assistance for developing nations like Sierra Leone. The Union’s efforts to provide legal protection and promote women’s rights and employment opportunities are transformative tools for rebuilding socio-economic infrastructure and achieving sustainable development goals.
Sierra Leone reaffirmed its commitment to greater collaboration among Inter-Parliamentary Union member states, particularly in enacting legislation to promote and advance gender equality to support the global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights.
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