#Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (GEWE)

[coochiequeens]

Good news for women!

By Cecilia Macaulay

BBC News

Sierra Leone has passed what has been described as a "ground-breaking" law to improve women's rights.

President Julius Maada Bio made an apology to women for their poor treatment in the past: "For so long we haven't been fair to you," he said.

The law states that 30% of public and private jobs must be reserved for women.

The Minister of Gender and Children's Affairs says women have been "crying" out "for years" for this change.

"It means a lot to women in Sierra Leone," Manty Tarawalli told the BBC's Newsday radio programme, adding that no other sub-Saharan African country had passed such a law.

The law lets girls who are still at school know "there are opportunities for them in Sierra Leone for employment for business" and for them to contribute to the economy, Ms Tarawalli said.

Under the new Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (GEWE), women also benefit from ringfenced senior positions in the workplace, at least 14-weeks of maternity leave, equal access to bank credit and training opportunities.

There are harsh repercussions for employers who do not stick to the new gender ratios, including hefty fines of £2,000 ($2,500), and even potential prison time for institutions like banks that do not give women fair access to financial support. It is thought this will make it easier for women to start their own businesses.

The government says the employment law will apply to any business with more than 25 employees, but a final decision has not yet been made.

Ms Tarawalli said the move was "important" but that "more steps will have to be taken before the country can say fairness has been achieved across the genders".

Discrimination against women in the workplace is a "big issue," according to the minister, and the new law will "change the status quo," she said.

For Sierra Leone to become a middle-income country it must engage the 52% of the population who are women in the economy, Ms Tarawalli added.

Prior to the law, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) said that "progress has been made in expanding opportunities for women and girls" but warned that "gender inequality and denial of women's rights are still prevalent at all levels in Sierra Leonean society".

As for gender equality in the continent as a whole, UN Women also says thatprogress has been made, but "the majority of women work in insecure, poorly paid jobs, with few opportunities for advancement".

[jaim3mur]

Gender Equality Law Promotes Female Employment

Sierra Leone passed landmark legislation last week aimed at advancing women’s rights. “[N]ow that we have a stable and peaceful Sierra Leone, we cannot afford to have women, who make up 52% of our population, not featuring prominently in politics and leadership,” said Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio. The law, called the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (GEWE), requires public and private employers to reserve 30 percent of jobs for women, including leadership positions, and stipulates that 30 percent of candidates put forward by any political party for parliamentary and local elections must be female. It also extends maternity leave to fourteen weeks, mandates equal pay, and grants women equal access to financial support and training opportunities, among other provisions. The law includes significant repercussions for failure to comply. Manty Tarawalli, minister of gender and children’s affairs, lauded the GEWE, but noted, “[M]ore steps will have to be taken before the country can say fairness has been achieved across the genders.”