The Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, GEWE Bill 2022, has been signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone. The law will implement a more responsive stance on gender and comprehensively address gender imbalances, including the principles of inclusion, representation, and participation.
There must be at least 30% of women in the Cabinet, the Parliament, and the selection of ambassadors and high commissioners. Additionally, maternity leave has been increased from 12 weeks to 14 weeks, and 30% of all positions in Local Councils and 30% of positions in the Civil Service will be available to women.
Women's economic empowerment and protection are not political rhetoric, the president Maada Bio emphasized when recalling his unconditional commitment to include women in national life, governance, and development. Families, communities, and entire nations must be empowered by women for social and economic advancement. ".
In accordance with this, he claimed, his government had achieved gender parity at the elementary school level, documented improved academic performance and learning outcomes for girls in secondary schools, and promised tuition-free education for all girls majoring in STEM fields from kindergarten through university graduation.
The president of Sierra Leone listed the accomplishments of his government, including the fight for justice for victims of sexual assault, healthcare to support maternal and child care, and emancipating women who control the informal economy for expectant mothers and nursing mothers.
Manty Tarawalli, the minister of gender and children's affairs, praised the president for having the political will to pass the law. According to her, it took a while for the law to become enacted because "the climate wasn't right" in terms of women's readiness and men's unwillingness to accommodate this kind of growth. ".
She claimed that the government faced difficulties and had to overcome significant obstacles before it could shift "the conversation from rights-based to economic growth," adding that "those who were opposed became willing and ready to have the conversation.". ".
Tarawalli believed that the law was also about fostering economic development that would elevate Sierra Leone to the status of a middle-income nation, but that this was impossible given that women make up 52% of the population and hold few positions of authority. ".
She stated that they would educate women so they would realize that achieving economic empowerment did not entail neglecting their responsibilities as wives and mothers. She implied that it is crucial to convey to men the benefits that economic empowerment brings to the neighborhood and to Sierra Leone.
A trader named Mariamma Kalla, 45, expressed her regret that the Law would not benefit her personally but also her happiness that her two daughters would not be excluded from the change that is sweeping the nation to improve the lives of women. ".