The president of the Sierra LeoneJulius Maada Bio, promulgated a law on Thursday, January 19 requiring that all public or private organizations reserve 30% of their jobs for women, including management positions, in a society that traditionally favors men.
“The Women’s Equality and Empowerment Act that I am enacting today will undoubtedly completely redress the gender imbalances in our country. We have to make sure it works”, said the president during the signing ceremony in Freetown. The text also applies to Parliament, where 30% of the 146 seats must be occupied by women. Eighteen women sit in Parliament today and four are part of the 32 members of Mr. Bio’s government.
“Women who want to work in the public sector and those who support them must no longer be hampered, belittled, intimidated or hinderedsaid President Bio. It is not going to be simple because this space has been occupied by men for a very long time, we must monitor the electoral processes to guarantee the fairness and transparency of the elections. »
Employers who do not comply with the law face a fine of 50,000 leones (2,400 euros) for each violation. The text also aims to promote women’s access to financing and links public spending to equality between men and women. Those who deny women equal access to financial support risk at least three years in prison.
Rights defenders have long denounced the discrimination against women as well as the violence to which they are subjected in this poor country of 7.5 million inhabitants.
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