#President Julius Maada Bio

[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".

[profeminist]

"The signing ceremony, held in Freetown, was hosted by First Lady Fatima Bio and marks a significant milestone in the country's efforts to protect children's rights. The new law makes it illegal to marry anyone under the age of 18.

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has signed into law a bill prohibiting child marriage, imposing harsh penalties on offenders.

Going forward, anyone who contravenes the law by marrying out his daughter or taking a bride before attaining the age of 18 is liable to a jail term of 15 years or a fine of about $4000 dollars or both.

The law defines defaulters as parent(s) of an underage bride, the groom and anyone who supports or witnesses the wedding.

Read the full piece here: https://saharareporters.com/2024/07/03/sierra-leone-bans-child-marriage-imposes-15-year-prison-sentence-violators-including

[beardedmrbean]

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday promulgated a law banning child marriage in a country where hundreds of thousands of girls are married before turning 18.

"Freedom has come for our women," Bio said during a ceremony organised by feminist groups and west African first ladies in the capital Freetown.

Sierra Leone's parliament approved the law last month, passing a bill that criminalises marrying girls below 18 with jail terms of at least 15 years or a stiff fine of more than $2,000.

"This is an accomplishment that will define my administration," said Bio, calling it a "beacon of hope in Africa where women have boundless opportunities to be and determine their own future and inspire the world."

He urged the country to "nurture" equality "by eliminating all forms of violence and exclusion vices against our own women".

The Save the Children NGO lauded a "historic" law.

The law also bans men from living with underage girls and sets out a compensation package for those who are married or fall pregnant before turning 18.

In Sierra Leone, a country of nine million people, there were 800,000 wives aged under 18 in 2017, including 400,000 aged less than 15, according to UNICEF.

Child brides suffer lifelong disadvantages, according to Save the Children's director Patrick Analo, which include being excluded from future educational and economic opportunities.

But the rate of child marriage has been slowly dropping over recent decades.

According to UNICEF, 30 percent of girls had been married before their 18th birthday in 2017, down from 37 percent 25 years earlier.

[warningsine]

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday promulgated a law banning child marriage in a country where hundreds of thousands of girls are married before turning 18.

"Freedom has come for our women," Bio said during a ceremony organised by feminist groups and west African first ladies in the capital Freetown.

Sierra Leone's parliament approved the law last month, passing a bill that criminalises marrying girls below 18 with jail terms of at least 15 years or a stiff fine of more than $2,000.

"This is an accomplishment that will define my administration," said Bio, calling it a "beacon of hope in Africa where women have boundless opportunities to be and determine their own future and inspire the world."

He urged the country to "nurture" equality "by eliminating all forms of violence and exclusion vices against our own women".

The Save the Children NGO lauded a "historic" law.

The law also bans men from living with underage girls and sets out a compensation package for those who are married or fall pregnant before turning 18.

In Sierra Leone, a country of nine million people, there were 800,000 wives aged under 18 in 2017, including 400,000 aged less than 15, according to UNICEF.

Child brides suffer lifelong disadvantages, according to Save the Children's director Patrick Analo, which include being excluded from future educational and economic opportunities.

But the rate of child marriage has been slowly dropping over recent decades.

According to UNICEF, 30 percent of girls had been married before their 18th birthday in 2017, down from 37 percent 25 years earlier.

(AFP)

[zvaigzdelasas]

27 Jun 23

28 Jun 23

Overall, AUEOM observed that elections were conducted in a generally peaceful, transparent, and credible manner, up to the counting on polling day, despite reported incidents of violence particularly during the pre-election period.

29 Jun 23

1 Jul 23

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[catradioonline]

President Julius Maada Bio Advocates for Climate Change Solutions at Oxford Symposium

[ghanashowbizonline]

News Summary - Sierra Leone's First Lady and other women dance to celebrate child marriage ban

Sierra Leone celebrates the passage of a historic law banning child marriages, with First Lady Fatima Maada Bio joyfully joining women in a spirited dance. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2024, recently approved by the parliament, has been praised by international organizations. President Julius Maada Bio’s signature is awaited to solidify the new era of freedom for the nation’s…

[lboogie1906]

President Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born May 12, 1964) the current president of Sierra Leone, was born in Tihun, Bonthe District, Sierra Leone. His father was Charlie Bio II, a Sherbro Paramount Chief of Sogbini Chiefdom, who had nine wives. His mother’s name was Amina. He was the 33rd of Paramount Chief Charlie Bio’s 35 children.

He graduated from the all-male The Bo Government Secondary School. He graduated from the Military Academy of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. He served as Chief Secretary of State, Chief of Defense Staff, Minister of Information, Minister of Marine Resources, Deputy Head of State, and Head of State. He rose to the rank of brigadier general. He staged two coup d’états. The first dislodged the military-ruled government, led by President Valentine Strasser. He became a member of the Supreme Council of State. During the second coup, he successfully became president of the country. After three months in leadership, he chose to step down in favor of a democratically elected government. He resigned from the army to continue his academic studies.

He earned an MA in International Affairs from American University.

He married Fatima Jabbe Maada Bio (2013), an actress, screenwriter, and film producer from Koidu Town, Sierra Leone. They have 4 children.

He remained in the UK where he was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bradford, and while he pursued his Ph.D. in Peace Studies.

He returned to Sierra Leone and ran for President of the Republic and Commander-In-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. He won 51.8%. His platform called for transforming Sierra Leone’s economy, promoting human development in the nation through education, improving governance, improving infrastructure, and overhauling the financing of the public sector (tax reform).

In 2019, at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Bio presented his unusual idea of a single global securitized, and serially numbered identification system that can be used for “governance, development planning, financial inclusion, and human rights imperatives.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[pndiho]

WOMEN IN SIERRA LEONE DEMAND GENDER EQUITY

In January 2023, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone signed the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act into law. This groundbreaking legislation requires that at least 30 percent of both public and private sector jobs be reserved for women. It also includes provisions such as granting 14 weeks of maternity leave.To learn more about this important milestone, VOA’s Paul Ndiho spoke with…

[echonewsnig]

SIERRA LEONE EX-PRESIDENT KOROMA IN NIGERIA UNDER ECOWAS BROKERED ACCORD

By Paul Ejime Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Bai Koroma, accused of treason by the government of his country arrived in Nigeria Friday on exile, although the Sierra Leone government is presenting his departure as “a medical trip.” The journey on a Nigerian Airforce flight was originally planned for the 4th of January, but the government of President Julius Maada Bio went back on its…

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

Damascus, SANA- President Bashar al-Assad and a number of presidents of Arab and friendly foreign countries exchanged on Sunday cables of congratulation on the occasion of the New Year.

The exchanged congratulatory cables included wishes for continued success, more goodness, progress, and strengthening relations between Syria and other countries.

President al-Assad received the congratulation cables from the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Alan Gagloev, the Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania and the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio.

His Excellency also received a congratulation cables from Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev.

[efdaglobal-ltd]

President Bio Gives Update On The Latest Security Situation In The Country

The President Julius Maada Bio Gives Update of the Current Security Situation in Freetown and the Country as a whole More:

[africaprimenews]

AU C-10 Consultative Summit On UN Security Council Reform Ends In E- Guinea

  By Bangura Sessay President Dr Julius Maada Bio has concluded a Consultative Summit of the African Union, AU, in his capacity as Coordinator of the AU Committee of Ten (C-10) Heads of State and Government on the reform of the United Nations Security Council. The fifth summit, hosted by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, primarily deliberated on the…