BY FATMATA BUNDU
232NEWS, FREETOWN —
Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) recently paid a courtesy visit to the Sierra Leone First Lady Madam Fatima Bio with an aim of addressing compelling issues affecting women and girls’ across the country.
WIMSAL’s President, Madam Eastina Taylor, highlighted the organization’s purpose and commended the impactful initiatives of the First Lady’s Office, including the flagship programme “Hands Off Our Girls”.
She emphasized the importance of amplifying women’s voices, challenging stereotypes, and promoting gender equality.
Since its formation, WIMSAL has actively participated in awareness raising and advocacy on diverse issues affecting women including reporting cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and domestic violence.
However, the Organisation continues to face challenges such as institutional barriers access to required data and information, and capacity to effectively report those issues.
It is in this regard that Madam Taylor kindly requested the First Lady’s support through partnerships, to beat those challenges and ensure safe Sierra Leone for women and girls to thrive in all walks of life including governance.
In her response, the First Lady commended WIMSAL’s efforts and expressed her willingness to participate in the organization’s affairs. She stressed the importance of capacity building and promised support through scholarships and other activities.
She urged WIMSAL to collaborate and use their platform to address women’s challenges. The First Lady also highlighted President Bio’s commitment to women’s empowerment and her focus on addressing child marriage policy this year.
She encouraged WIMSAL to continue promoting women and girls’ issues using their media platforms.
She expressed her belief in the power of women’s voices, emphasizing that capacity building remains crucial for strengthening women’s groups.
Commending WIMSAL’s scholarship initiative, she pledged additional support to enhance members’ capacity.
Addressing the need for unity, the First Lady encouraged WIMSAL to transcend political differences and stand together to amplify the struggles faced by women and girls across the nation. Highlighting President Bio’s commitment to women’s empowerment, she lauded the passing of the 30% gender quota bill in Parliament and the increased representation of women in his government.
With a vision for a more prosperous future, the First Lady urges WIMSAL to be firm in their decision making and advocacy drive and not be limited by political or social barriers.
The First Lady concluded by emphasizing her goal to addressing the issue of child marriage within the country’s policy framework this year. She urged WIMSAL to play an active role in this endeavor by leveraging their pens and microphones to advocate for change.
As the meeting came to a close, both parties expressed enthusiasm for collaboration and a shared commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls in Sierra Leone.
