Expanding Political Support for Abortion Access and Rights in Sierra Leone

  • A Advocacy Campaign/Project

A Active

Key Information

This project focuses on advocacy campaigns to ensure law reform around Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) in Sierra Leone. The current advocacy initiative is for the Parliament of Sierra Leone to pass the "Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health (SMRH)" Bill into law. The proposed SMRH Act decriminalises Safe Termination of pregnancy under three broad conditions: first if the pregnancy is a threat to the health or life of the individual; second, if the preganacy is due to incest; and third if the pregnancy is as a result of rape. The proposed law also allows for integration of Sexual Reproductive Health Education into the National Basic Education Curriculum.

Lead Implementing Organization(s)
Location(s)

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sierra Leone

Activity URL

Not applicable or unknown

Government Affiliation
Non-governmental program
Years

2020 - 2025

Partner(s)

Amnesty International, Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights (LAWYERS), Grassroots Community Development Advocates - Sierra Leone (GraCDA-SL), Marie Stopes Sierra Leone (MSSL), Economic Empowerment for Human Rights -Sierra Leone (EEHRSL), Mahotta Women's Development Advocates (MaWoDA), Society for Democratic Initiative (SDI), Women In Need of Development - Sierra Leone (WIND-SL),  Men's Up Initiative (NUI),  Habi Foundation, Sierra Leone Youth Advocacy and Empowerment Network (SLYAEN), Alliance For Women's Development – Sierra Leone (AWOD-SL), Ladies In Development - Sierra Leone 

Ministry Affiliation
Unknown
Funder(s)

Not applicable or unknown

COVID-19 Response
Adapted
Geographic Scope
National
Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  
Unknown
Areas of Work Back to Top
Education areas
Other skills
  • Rights/empowerment education
Quality
  • School-related gender-based violence
  • School violence
Cross-cutting areas
  • Community sensitization
  • Early/child marriage
  • Empowerment
  • Gender equality
  • Menstrual hygiene management
  • Other
Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Boys (both in school and out of school), Community leaders, Girls (both in school and out of school), Other community members - female, Other community members - male, Parent-teacher associations/school management committees, Religious leaders, School administrators, Teachers - female, Teachers - male, Youth

Age

8 - 100

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Lower primary
  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary
  • Vocational
  • Tertiary
Other populations reached
  • Other
Participants include
  • Adolescent mothers (pregnant or parenting)
  • Homeless/street children
  • Orphans and vulnerable children
  • People living with HIV/AIDS
  • People with disabilities
Program Approaches Back to Top
Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization
  • Community mobilization
  • General awareness-raising/community engagement
Educational Technology
  • Online training
Health and childcare services
  • Adolescent-friendly health services
  • Maternal and child health services
  • Sexual and reproductive health services (including family planning)
Increased availability of learning materials
  • Educational Radio or Television Programs
Learning while working
  • Vocational training
Life skills education
  • Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE)
  • Gender, rights and power
  • Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)
Menstrual hygiene management
  • Raising awareness about menstruation (beyond just girls)
Policy/legal environment
  • Advocating changes to existing laws/policies
  • Developing/promoting new laws/policies
School-related gender-based violence
  • Anti-violence policies and codes of conduct
Social/gender norms change
  • Media campaigns
Women's empowerment programs
  • Advocacy/action
  • Empowerment training

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Program Goals Back to Top
Education goals

Not applicable or unknown

Cross-cutting goals
  • Changed social norms
  • Improved health - other
  • Improved maternal, newborn, and/or child health (MNCH)
  • Improved sexual and reproductive health
  • Improved understanding of sexual harassment, coercion, and consent
  • Increased advocacy/civic engagement
  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Increased knowledge of rights
Additional Information Back to Top
Primary Contact
Fodie Paul Oniel Kamara
Concern Sierra Leone
Executive Director
fodiepokamara@gmail.com
+23278682524