Management Response

: Sierra Leone
: 2014 - 2015 , Sierra Leone (CO)
: 1325 National Action Plan Evaluation 2010-2014
:
: Sierra Leone
:

UN Women-WCA congratulates the evaluators for having conducted one of the rare evaluations at national policy level. The evaluation provided timely insights and lessons learned, useful for implementation of the SLE Policy on how successful the approaches, strategies and practices have worked since the National Action Plan was adopted in 2010; thereby drawing out key results and achievements; having examined the set indicators and partnerships between institutions and CSOs actively involved in the designing and implementation of the National Action Plan. With the renewed commitment of UNW-SL, the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender, Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA) and SILNAP National Steering Committee welcomes the findings of the End of Plan Evaluation for the Sierra Leone National Action Plan Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820 (SILNAP). The evaluation was able to determine how state and non-state institutions have been able to promote women’s participation through enablement strategies such as capacity building, coordination and ownership, prevention of gender-based violence, prosecution of perpetrators of gender-based violence; and protect women from sexual and gender-based violence. The recommendations include promoting the safety and self-reliance of girls and women, full access to legal assistance , Enforcement of legislations like the three gender justice laws and Building short- and long-term training programmes to strengthen the capacities of local resources (community groups, traditional and religious leaders, men, youth and survivors of SGBV) to identify, create awareness of and put in place community-based strategies and resources for response could helped to compliment the efforts of mainstream justice system

: Approved
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 1 : To promote the safety and self-reliance of girls and women, full access to legal assistance and support services must be provided. It is also necessary to ensure compensation for victims of violence. This also means creating a special focus on emotional violence which is usually neglected in comparison to physical and sexual violence.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. Various institutions have been providing legal, medical and psychological support services to survivors of SGBV, however this has been very limited, and coordination among stakeholders remains low. There is a need to strengthen existing services as well as expand these service nationally, and increase coordination.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Strengthen support to Rainbo Initiative to provide integrated holistic support to survivors of SGBV, including medical, economic and psychosocial support and referral to legal support. National Steering Committee MSWGCA 2018/07 No Longer Applicable
Reengage LAWYERS to provide legal aid to female survivors of SGBV in Freetown, Kono and Kenema and expand services to other districts MSWGCA, UN WOMEN 2018/12 No Longer Applicable
Establish an efficient and effective referral system involving the police, the court system, health facilities, legal aid providers, traditional leaders and others, for survivors of SGBV for medical, legal, economic and psychosocial support, and consider the establishment of integrated emergency assistance units (one stop centers) for SGBV response MSWGCA, with support from National Steering Committee and UN Women 2021/01 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Build up the capacity of Judiciary, such as the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Police especially FSU, the courts and forensic medicine services, by increasing the financial and human resources to be able to combat the pattern of impunity in cases involving violence against women. This involves the procurement of the technical equipment needed to do chemical and forensic tests and to compile all the evidence needed to solve the case under investigation.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. There is an urgent need to set up a forensic laboratory and have the necessary technical staff trained in using the Laboratory and interpreting the analysis from a legal point of view.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Setting up of a forensic laboratory MSWGCA 2020/12 No Longer Applicable
Training of medical personnel to take over the forensic lab MSWGCA 2021/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Take immediate steps to ensure that the public officials involved in prosecuting cases of violence and discrimination against women (including prosecutors, police, judges, court-appointed attorneys, administrative personnel and forensic medicine professionals) are properly educated about women’s rights so that they apply the domestic and international laws when prosecuting these crimes. This is also to ensure that integrity and dignity of the victims and their relatives are respected.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. MSWGCA, UN Women and National Steering Committee members played a lead role in ensuring that the Sexual Offences Act was passed in 2012 and they have also played a crucial role in sensitization of the 2007 Gender Justice laws at various levels including national, community and local levels.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Impact, Efficiency, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Training of various public officials on the three gender justice laws and the Sexual Offences Act and the guidelines on SGBV Case Management MSWGCA 2020/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Take measures to institutionalize collaboration and information sharing among the authorities in charge of investigating acts of violence and discrimination, particularly between the public prosecutor’s office and the police.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. The National Committee on Gender Based Violence (NAC-GBV) is co-chaired by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs and the Sierra Leone Police. The key stakeholders in the NAC-GBV Committee include CSOs, Ministry of Justice traditional chiefs etc. This forum ensures collaboration and information among key stakeholders on issues of violence against Women.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Resuscitate and support NAC-GBV Monthly meetings. MSWGCA 2017/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Enforcement of legislations like the three gender justice laws continues to be a challenge. MSWGCA, international partners and women’s groups should continue to engage relevant stakeholders like the Family Support Unit of the Police (FSU), the Police Medical Doctor and the Judiciary to ensure timely dispensation of justice to victims seeking redress in the courts of law
Management Response: The Saturday Courts were set up to look into back log and accelerate judgement for cases of SGBV. These Saturday Courts need to be resuscitated to ensure that the survivors of SGBV can have continued access to justice .
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Human Rights
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Resuscitation of Saturday Courts to ensure that Survivors of SGBV have access to justice UNDP 2018/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: FSU currently has limited geographic coverage nationwide. There is a need to build the institutional capacity of the FSU to increase its geographic coverage as well as strengthened its logistical capacity.
Management Response: UN Women played a lead role in the setting up of the initial Family Support Units and the training of human capacity within the units. However there has been a high staff turnover and most of the initially trained staff have been sent on peace keeping missions abroad.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Setting up of Family Support Units Nationwide Sierra Leone Police MSWGCA 2020/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Capacity constraints of the judiciary negatively impact on the administration of justice, thus creating room for impunity. Advocacy efforts for capacity strengthening of the judiciary needs to be considered.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. UN Women and the MSWGCA recognizes the need to strengthen judiciary capacity in the administration of gender justice. UN Women has close working relationship with one of the justices of the High Court and will work closely with the Government machinery and other UN partners to ensure to strengthen the capacity of the judiciary.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Training of paralegals to work in the community who will follow up on SGBV cases MSWGCA UN Gender Technical Team (UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP) 2020/03 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Prevention begins with respecting the community’s capacity to make positive change. Efforts need to be premised on understanding a community’s views on gender based violence as a framework for strengthening its response to such violence. Prevention should recognize the multifaceted relationships between community members and socio-cultural institutions and acknowledge the complex history, culture and experiences that shape each community.
Management Response: UN Women, MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accepts this Recommendation. The key stakeholders of the evaluation have been working with community leaders including chiefs and religious leaders. MOU have been signed with soweis to prevent FGM till 18 years, there is now a move to zero tolerance to FGM involving all stakeholders. The HEFORSHE launch has reached out to all Parliamentarians, Paramount Chiefs, councilors at a national level. UN Women will continue with the campaign at a community level.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Community sensitization on the 4 gender justice laws MSWGCA 2019/03 No Longer Applicable
Community Sensitization on the HEFORSHE Campaign UN Women 2018/03 No Longer Applicable
Finalization and roll out of the Reduction of FGM Strategy MSWGCA UNICEF 2019/03 No Longer Applicable
Sensitization of traditional leaders, including Paramount Chiefs, on SGBV prevention and response, and support in establishing, harmonizing and improving community by-laws towards ensuring adjudication of cases, preventing impunity of perpetrators and providing holistic support to victims of SGBV. MSWGCA UN GTT 2019/03 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Preventing gender based violence must involve addressing the root causes of such violence and challenging communities to examine the assumptions and norms that perpetuate it, including women’s lower status and inequality within male-female relationships. In this context it is especially urgent to connect prevention and response strategies with community initiatives that support peace, social justice, and development, and which address current misperceptions about the national action plan on UN Resolution 1325 and 1820
Management Response: UN Women and the MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accept this recommendation. The SILNAP that was evaluated has expired. There are plans to develop a new SILNAP and in the process all stakeholders will be bought on board to ensure that there is connect between prevention and responses strategies in the various community initiatives that would be implemented.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Renew the National Policy on the Advancement of Women and the National Policy on Gender Mainstreaming (twin policies), and the SILNAP 1325 and ensure coordination and synergies between these processes and outcome documents, including as regards SGBV prevention and response strategies MSWGCA, supported by NAC-GBV and UN entitites 2018/06 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Improving women’s safety must be one of the main objectives of a national crime prevention strategy. It should encompass a range of preventive approaches which can be used to promote the safety of women, whether public or private violence, or fear and insecurity in a range of contexts. Insecurity and fear of violence or sexual harassment can limit the mobility of women and girls, restrict their work or education choices, and violence itself has huge social and economic costs.
Management Response: UN Women and the MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accept this recommendation. UN Women has don work with partners in advocating for the enactment of law. UN women has also worked with Parliamentarians, Religious Leaders and Traditional leaders sensitizing them on the various laws. UN Women played a lead role in the enactment of the Sexual Offences ACt
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Conduct SGBV safety audits in communities/regions with high SGBV prevalence FSU/SLP MSWGCA and UN Women 2018/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Initiatives should seek input and participation from a cross-section of individuals, women’s groups, traditional authority and secret societies to galvanize momentum for action. While NGOs and local authorities can play an important role in catalysing support for preventative action, the process must ultimately be spearheaded and sustained by community members.
Management Response: UN Women and the MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accept this recommendation. The Draft National Strategy for the Reduction of FGM has been developed by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs with the support of UN. The document was developed with the input of secret society leaders (Sowei's) women's groups and other traditional and religious leaders .
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Finalize the Draft National Strategy of the Reduction of FGM Strategy MSWGCA UNICEF UN Women 2021/01 No Longer Applicable
Mobilise support for the implementation of the Reduction of FGM Strategy MSWGCA, UNICEF UN Women 2020/03 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Conducting periodic risk assessments through community mapping exercises, in close collaboration with community groups, traditional and religious leaders, men, youth and survivors of SGBV should be conducted to identify high-risk areas where sexual violations occur with a view to mobilising community-based strategies and resources for response.
Management Response: UN Women and the MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accept this recommendation
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Engaging men and boys, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop tools for risk assessment National Steering Committee and SLP 2020/03 No Longer Applicable
: Conduct SGBV safety audits in communities/regions with high SGBV prevalence (see action 10.4) UN Women 2018/03 No Longer Applicable
Conduct mapping exercise of areas of high Incidents of SGBV Sierra Leone police 2018/08 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: . Building short- and long-term training programmes to strengthen the capacities of local resources (community groups, traditional and religious leaders, men, youth and survivors of SGBV) to identify, create awareness of and put in place community-based strategies and resources for response could helped to complement the efforts of mainstream justice system.
Management Response: UN Women and the MSWGCA and the National Steering Committee accept this recommendation. A number of initiatives have been held and are currently ongoing to create awareness of the gender justice laws at a community level as well as awareness raising to develop community based strategies to respond to issues at a Community level
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Advocacy, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Launch of the HEFORSHE with Parliamentarians UN Women 2017/03 Completed
Setting up for HEFORSHE Desk in Parliament UN Women, Members of Parliament 2017/10 No Longer Applicable
Engaging with community leaders on the gender justice laws UN Women 2017/12 No Longer Applicable
Sensitization of traditional leaders, including Paramount Chiefs, on SGBV prevention and response, and support in establishing, harmonizing and improving community by-laws towards ensuring adjudication of cases, preventing impunity of perpetrators and providing holistic support to victims of SGBV (see action 8.4) MSWGCA, UN Women 2020/12 No Longer Applicable