DOCSLIB.ORG

Sierra Leone

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sierra Leone SIERRA LEONE 350 Fifth Ave 34 th Floor New York, N.Y. 10118-3299 http://www.hrw.org (212) 290-4700 Vol. 15, No. 1 (A) – January 2003 I was captured together with my husband, my three young children and other civilians as we were fleeing from the RUF when they entered Jaiweii. Two rebels asked to have sex with me but when I refused, they beat me with the butt of their guns. My legs were bruised and I lost my three front teeth. Then the two rebels raped me in front of my children and other civilians. Many other women were raped in public places. I also heard of a woman from Kalu village near Jaiweii being raped only one week after having given birth. The RUF stayed in Jaiweii village for four months and I was raped by three other wicked rebels throughout this A woman receives psychological and medical treatment in a clinic to assist rape period. victims in Freetown. In January 1999, she was gang-raped by seven revels in her village in northern Sierra Leone. After raping her, the rebels tied her down and placed burning charcoal on her body. (c) 1999 Corinne Dufka/Human Rights -Testimony to Human Rights Watch Watch “WE’LL KILL YOU IF YOU CRY” SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE SIERRA LEONE CONFLICT 1630 Connecticut Ave, N.W., Suite 500 2nd Floor, 2-12 Pentonville Road 15 Rue Van Campenhout Washington, DC 20009 London N1 9HF, UK 1000 Brussels, Belgium TEL (202) 612-4321 TEL: (44 20) 7713 1995 TEL (32 2) 732-2009 FAX (202) 612-4333 FAX: (44 20) 7713 1800 FAX (32 2) 732-0471 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] January 2003 Vol. 15, No. 1 (A) SIERRA LEONE “WE’LL KILL YOU IF YOU CRY” Sexual Violence in the Sierra Leone Conflict GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................1 DEFINITION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, RAPE AND SEXUAL SLAVERY........................................................2 I. SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................................................3 II. RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................................................................................6 To the Government of Sierra Leone.......................................................................................................................6 To Members of the African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)....................6 To Members of the International Community........................................................................................................7 To the Special Court for Sierra Leone....................................................................................................................7 To the Truth and Reconciliation Commission........................................................................................................7 To the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) ...............................................................................8 III. METHODOLOGY..............................................................................................................................................9 IV. BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................................9 The Civil War.........................................................................................................................................................9 Women and Girls under Sierra Leonean Law ......................................................................................................15 The Sierra Leonean Legal system ....................................................................................................................15 Constitutional Status of Women.......................................................................................................................16 Marriage ...........................................................................................................................................................17 Divorce and Death of Husband ........................................................................................................................18 Domestic Violence ...........................................................................................................................................19 Rape as a Crime under General Law................................................................................................................19 Prosecution of Sexual Violence under Customary Law...................................................................................21 Discrimination against Women and Girls in Practice...........................................................................................21 Education..........................................................................................................................................................21 The Workplace .................................................................................................................................................22 In the Political Arena........................................................................................................................................23 Harmful Traditional Practices and Their Impact on Women’s and Girls’ Health............................................23 Societal Attitudes to Sexual Violence against Women and Girls.....................................................................24 V. SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS DURING THE CIVIL WAR ...............................25 Prevalence of Sexual Violence during the War....................................................................................................25 Perpetrators...........................................................................................................................................................26 Rebel Forces .....................................................................................................................................................26 Pro-Government Forces....................................................................................................................................27 Peacekeeping Forces ........................................................................................................................................28 Sexual Violence Committed by the Rebel Forces ................................................................................................28 “Virgination”—Targeting Young Girls............................................................................................................28 Rape Victims Subjected to Multiple Human Rights Abuses............................................................................31 Rape with Objects and Other Sexual Torture, including Sexual Mutilation ....................................................33 Sexual Violence with the Added Element of Violating Cultural Norms..........................................................35 Forced Pregnancies...........................................................................................................................................40 Forced Abortion by West Side Boys ................................................................................................................41 Rape by Female Combatant..............................................................................................................................41 Rape and Other Sexual Violence against Boys and Men by Male and Female Rebels....................................42 Abduction, Sexual Slavery, Forced Labor, and Conscription ..........................................................................42 RUF Officers’ Responsibility for Sexual Violence..........................................................................................45 Sexual Violence Committed by the CDF .............................................................................................................46 Sexual Violence Committed by International Peacekeeping Forces....................................................................48 VI. EFFECTS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE ..............................................................................................................50 Health ...................................................................................................................................................................50 Stigmatization and Shame of Survivors ...............................................................................................................52 VII. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROTECTIONS AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE ........................53 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................53 International Humanitarian Law...........................................................................................................................54 Sexual Violence as a Crime against Humanity ....................................................................................................55 Human Rights Law...............................................................................................................................................57 Gender
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 Sierra Leone
    Sierra Leone – Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on 18 March 2010 Information as to what recent wars Sierra Leone has been involved in and when they ended. In a section titled “History” the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office country profile for Sierra Leone states: “The SLPP ruled until 1967 when the electoral victory of the opposition APC was cut short by the country's first military coup. But the military eventually handed over to the APC and its leader Siaka Stevens in 1968. He turned the country into a one -party state in 1978. He finally retired in 1985, handing over to his deputy, General Momoh. Under popular pressure, one party rule was ended in 1991, and a new constitution providing for a return to multi-party politics was approved in August of that year. Elections were scheduled for 1992. But, by this stage, Sierra Leone's institutions had collapsed, mismanagement and corruption had ruined the economy and rising youth unemployment was a serious problem. Taking advantage of the collapse, a rebel movement, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) emerged, with backing from a warlord, Charles Taylor, in neighbouring Liberia, and in 1991 led a rebellion against the APC government. The government was unable to cope with the insurrection, and was overthrown in a junior Officers coup in April 1992. Its leader, Capt Strasser, was however unable to defeat the RUF. Indeed, the military were more often than not complicit with the rebels in violence and looting.” (United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office (25 February 2009) Country Profiles: Sub-Saharan Africa – Sierra Leone) This profile summarises the events of the period 1996 to 2002 as follows: “Strasser was deposed in January 1996 by his fellow junta leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Excluded and Invisible
    THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2006 EXCLUDED AND INVISIBLE THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2006 © The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2005 The Library of Congress has catalogued this serial publication as follows: Permission to reproduce any part of this publication The State of the World’s Children 2006 is required. Please contact the Editorial and Publications Section, Division of Communication, UNICEF, UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, UNICEF NY (3 UN Plaza, NY, NY 10017) USA, New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: 212-326-7434 or 7286, Fax: 212-303-7985, E-mail: [email protected]. Permission E-mail: [email protected] will be freely granted to educational or non-profit Website: www.unicef.org organizations. Others will be requested to pay a small fee. Cover photo: © UNICEF/HQ94-1393/Shehzad Noorani ISBN-13: 978-92-806-3916-2 ISBN-10: 92-806-3916-1 Acknowledgements This report would not have been possible without the advice and contributions of many inside and outside of UNICEF who provided helpful comments and made other contributions. Significant contributions were received from the following UNICEF field offices: Albania, Armenia, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Viet Nam. Input was also received from Programme Division, Division of Policy and Planning and Division of Communication at Headquarters, UNICEF regional offices, the Innocenti Research Centre, the UK National Committee and the US Fund for UNICEF.
    [Show full text]
  • Profile of Internal Displacement : Sierra Leone
    PROFILE OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT : SIERRA LEONE Compilation of the information available in the Global IDP Database of the Norwegian Refugee Council (as of 15 October, 2003) Also available at http://www.idpproject.org Users of this document are welcome to credit the Global IDP Database for the collection of information. The opinions expressed here are those of the sources and are not necessarily shared by the Global IDP Project or NRC Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project Chemin Moïse Duboule, 59 1209 Geneva - Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 799 07 00 Fax: + 41 22 799 07 01 E-mail : [email protected] CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 PROFILE SUMMARY 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND OF DISPLACEMENT 9 BACKGROUND TO THE CONFLICT 9 CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS SINCE INDEPENDENCE (1961 - 2000) 9 HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF THE FIRST EIGHT YEARS OF CONFLICT (1991-1998) 13 CONTINUED CONFLICT DESPITE THE SIGNING OF THE LOME PEACE AGREEMENT (JULY 1999-MAY 2000) 16 PEACE PROCESS DERAILED AS SECURITY SITUATION WORSENED DRAMATICALLY IN MAY 2000 18 RELATIVELY STABLE SECURITY SITUATION SINCE SIGNING OF CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT IN ABUJA ON 10 NOVEMBER 2000 20 CIVIL WAR DECLARED OVER FOLLOWING THE FULL DEPLOYMENT OF UNAMSIL AND THE COMPLETION OF DISARMAMENT (JANUARY 2002) 22 REGIONAL EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN PEACE IN SIERRA LEONE (2002) 23 SIERRA LEONEANS GO TO THE POLLS TO RE-ELECT AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH AS PRESIDENT (MAY 2002) 24 SIERRA LEONE’S SPECIAL COURT AND TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION START WORK (2002-2003) 25 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 28 COUNTRYWIDE DISPLACEMENT
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Women and Gender in Conflicts
    SPANISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE STRATEGIC DOSSIER 157-B SPANISH INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES (IEEE) GRANADA UNIVERSITY-ARMY TRAINING AND DOCTRINE COMMAND COMBINED CENTRE (MADOC) THE ROLE OF WOMEN AND GENDER IN CONFLICTS June 2012 GENERAL CATALOGUE OF OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS http://www.publicacionesoficiales.boe.es Publishes: SECRETARÍA GENERAL TÉCNICA www.bibliotecavirtualdefensa.es © Author and Publisher, 2012 NIPO: 083-12-253-3 (on line edition) NIPO: 083-12-252-8 (e-book edition) Publication date: February 2013 ISBN: 978-84-9781-801-8 (e-book edition) The authors are solely responsible for the opinions expresed in the articles in this publication. The exploitation righits of this work are protected by the Spanish Intellectual Property Act. No parts of this publication may be produced, stored or transmitted in any way nor by any means, electronic, mechanical or print, including photo- copies or any other means without prior, express, written consent of the © copyright holders. SPANISH SPANISH INSTITUTE FOR MINISTRY STRATEGIC STUDIES OF DEFENCE Workgroup number 4/2011 THE ROLE OF WOMEN AND GENDER IN CONFLICTS The ideas contained in this publication are the responsibility of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the IEEE, which is sponsoring the publication CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Soledad Becerril Bustamante Chapter I EQUALITY AND GENDER. BASIC CONCEPTS FOR APPLICATION IN THE FIELDS OF SECURITY AND DEFENCE M.ª Concepción Pérez Villalobos Nuria Romo Avilés Chapter II INTEGRATION OF THE PERSPECTIVE OF GENDER INTO THE
    [Show full text]
  • Sierra Leone Assessment
    Sierra Leone, Country Information http://194.203.40.90/ppage.asp?section=...erra%20Leone%2C%20Country%20Information SIERRA LEONE ASSESSMENT April 2002 Country Information and Policy Unit I SCOPE OF DOCUMENT II GEOGRAPHY III HISTORY IV STATE STRUCTURES V HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES VI HUMAN RIGHTS - SPECIFIC GROUPS VII HUMAN RIGHTS - OTHER ISSUES ANNEX A: CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS ANNEX B: POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS ANNEX C: PROMINENT PEOPLE REFERENCES TO SOURCE MATERIAL I. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1. This assessment has been produced by the Country Information & Policy Unit, Immigration & Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a variety of sources. 1.2. The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to catalogue all human rights violations. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3. The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. 1.4. It is intended to revise the assessment on a 6-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum producing countries in the United Kingdom. 1.5. An electronic copy of the assessment has been made available to the following organisations: Amnesty International UK 1 of 43 07/11/2002 5:44 PM Sierra Leone, Country Information http://194.203.40.90/ppage.asp?section=...erra%20Leone%2C%20Country%20Information Immigration Advisory Service Immigration Appellate Authority Immigration Law Practitioners' Association Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants JUSTICE Medical Foundation for the care of Victims of Torture Refugee Council Refugee Legal Centre UN High Commissioner for Refugees 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Millions of Civilians Have Been Killed in the Flames of War... But
    VOLUME 2 • NUMBER 131 • 2003 “Millions of civilians have been killed in the flames of war... But there is hope too… in places like Sierra Leone, Angola and in the Horn of Africa.” —High Commissioner RUUD LUBBERS at a CrossroadsAfrica N°131 - 2003 Editor: Ray Wilkinson French editor: Mounira Skandrani Contributors: Millicent Mutuli, Astrid Van Genderen Stort, Delphine Marie, Peter Kessler, Panos Moumtzis Editorial assistant: UNHCR/M. CAVINATO/DP/BDI•2003 2 EDITORIAL Virginia Zekrya Africa is at another Africa slips deeper into misery as the world Photo department: crossroads. There is Suzy Hopper, plenty of good news as focuses on Iraq. Anne Kellner 12 hundreds of thousands of Design: persons returned to Sierra Vincent Winter Associés Leone, Angola, Burundi 4 AFRICAN IMAGES Production: (pictured) and the Horn of Françoise Jaccoud Africa. But wars continued in A pictorial on the African continent. Photo engraving: Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Aloha Scan - Geneva other areas, making it a very Distribution: mixed picture for the 12 COVER STORY John O’Connor, Frédéric Tissot continent. In an era of short wars and limited casualties, Maps: events in Africa are almost incomprehensible. UNHCR Mapping Unit By Ray Wilkinson Historical documents UNHCR archives Africa at a glance A brief look at the continent. Refugees is published by the Media Relations and Public Information Service of the United Nations High Map Commissioner for Refugees. The 17 opinions expressed by contributors Refugee and internally displaced are not necessarily those of UNHCR. The designations and maps used do UNHCR/P. KESSLER/DP/IRQ•2003 populations. not imply the expression of any With the war in Iraq Military opinion or recognition on the part of officially over, UNHCR concerning the legal status UNHCR has turned its Refugee camps are centers for of a territory or of its authorities.
    [Show full text]
  • G U I N E a Liberia Sierra Leone
    The boundaries and names shown and the designations Mamou used on this map do not imply official endorsement or er acceptance by the United Nations. Nig K o L le n o G UINEA t l e a SIERRA Kindia LEONEFaranah Médina Dula Falaba Tabili ba o s a g Dubréka K n ie c o r M Musaia Gberia a c S Fotombu Coyah Bafodia t a e r G Kabala Banian Konta Fandié Kamakwie Koinadugu Bendugu Forécariah li Kukuna Kamalu Fadugu Se Bagbe r Madina e Bambaya g Jct. i ies NORTHERN N arc Sc Kurubonla e Karina tl it Mateboi Alikalia L Yombiro Kambia M Pendembu Bumbuna Batkanu a Bendugu b Rokupr o l e Binkolo M Mange Gbinti e Kortimaw Is. Kayima l Mambolo Makeni i Bendou Bodou Port Loko Magburaka Tefeya Yomadu Lunsar Koidu-Sefadu li Masingbi Koundou e a Lungi Pepel S n Int'l Airport or a Matotoka Yengema R el p ok m Freetown a Njaiama Ferry Masiaka Mile 91 P Njaiama- Wellington a Yele Sewafe Tongo Gandorhun o Hastings Yonibana Tungie M Koindu WESTERN Songo Bradford EAS T E R N AREA Waterloo Mongeri York Rotifunk Falla Bomi Kailahun Buedu a i Panguma Moyamba a Taiama Manowa Giehun Bauya T Boajibu Njala Dambara Pendembu Yawri Bendu Banana Is. Bay Mano Lago Bo Segbwema Daru Shenge Sembehun SOUTHE R N Gerihun Plantain Is. Sieromco Mokanje Kenema Tikonko Bumpe a Blama Gbangbatok Sew Tokpombu ro Kpetewoma o Sh Koribundu M erb Nitti ro River a o i Turtle Is. o M h Sumbuya a Sherbro I.
    [Show full text]
  • UNICEF Photo of the Year – Previous Award Winners
    UNICEF Photo of the Year – Previous Award Winners 2014 First Prize Insa Hagemann / Stefan Finger, Germany, laif Their reportage on the effects of sextourism in the Philippines gives an insight in the situation of children whose fathers live abroad. Second Prize Christian Werner, Germany, laif For his reportage on internally displaced people from Shinghai district, Iraq Third Prize Brent Stirton, South Africa, Getty Images for his reportage “Before and after eye surgery” on children with congenital cataract blindness in India. 2013 Winner Niclas Hammarström, Sweden, Kontinent His photo reportage captures the life of the children in Aleppo caught between the frontlines. 2012 First Prize Alessio Romenzi, Italien, Agentur Corbis Images The winning picture shows a girl waiting for medical examination at a hospital in Aleppo, Syria. The camera captures the fear in her eyes as she looks at a man holding a Kalashnikov. Second Prize Abhijit Nandi, India, Freelance Photographer In a long-term photo project, the photographer documents the many different forms of child labor in his home country. Third Prize Andrea Gjestvang, Norwegen, Agentur Moment The third prize was awarded to Norwegian photographer Andrea Gjestvang for her work with the victims of the shooting on Utøya Island. Forth Prize Laerke Posselt, Dänemark, Agentur Moment for her look behind the scenes of beauty pageants for toddlers in the USA. 1 2011 First Prize Kai Löffelbein, Germany, Student, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover for his photo of a boy at the infamous toxic waste dump Agbogbloshie, near Ghana’s capital Accra. Surrounded by highly toxic fumes and electronic waste from Western countries, the boy is lifting the remnants of a monitor above his head.
    [Show full text]
  • Essays on Spatial Development by Alexander David Rothenberg a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisfaction of the Requirements
    Essays on Spatial Development by Alexander David Rothenberg A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Professor Bryan S. Graham, Chair Professor Edward Miguel Professor Patrick Kline Professor Robert Helsley Spring 2012 Essays on Spatial Development Copyright 2012 by Alexander David Rothenberg Abstract Essays on Spatial Development by Alexander David Rothenberg Doctor of Philosophy in Economics University of California, Berkeley Professor Bryan S. Graham, Chair This dissertation contains three essays on the relationship between the spatial distribution of economic activity and di↵erent types of public goods. In the first essay, I study how changes in transport infrastructure a↵ect the location decisions of firms by examining how manufacturers responded to changes in road quality in Indonesia. Using new data, I docu- ment massive upgrades to Indonesia’s highway networks during the 1990s, a period in which national transportation funding increased by 83 percent. I first show that these road im- provements were accompanied by a significant dispersion of manufacturing activity, and that di↵erent industries responded in ways predicted by theory. To make better counterfactual predictions, I develop a structural model of location choice in which firms face a trade o↵: locating closer to demand sources requires firms to pay higher factor prices. The model predicts that some location characteristics relevant to firms are determined in equilibrium, necessitating the use of instrumental variables. I estimate a random coefficients logit model with endogenous choice characteristics and find significant di↵erences in firms’ willingness to pay for greater market access across di↵erent industrial sectors.
    [Show full text]
  • 02012012122430 Bangalie (Library).Pdf
    DISSERTATION TITLE: ‘AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: SIERRA LEONE A CASE STUDY’ MA in Contemporary Diplomacy Mrs Florence N. Bangalie A dissertation presented to the Faculty of Arts in the University of Malta for the degree of Master in Contemporary Diplomacy March, 2011 WORD COUNT: 23,260 (Word Limit 20-25.000 words with 10% margin) 1 DECLARATION Sir/Madam, I hereby certify that this dissertation, and all related research, is my own original work Signature Mrs Florence N. Bangalie March 30 2011 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am acknowledging that this dissertation project has been possible through generous support of my colleagues at the Embassy and my family, not to mention the constant support I received from tutors and lecturers of the Diplo Foundation in these undertakings. I am grateful to the Sierra Leonean community for giving me the information, insight, knowledge and understanding of the issues confronting women and women’s groups, and their contribution, during the bloody civil war and the peace process that followed in Sierra Leone. All of these people their time, and generously shared knowledge, experience and expertise. I interviewed many of them personally, some of whom did not want their names mentioned in my dissertation. 3 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to all Sierra Leonean women who have and are still working hard to contribute to the development of our beloved nation. 4 ABSTRACT This paper examines the role of women in conflict management, using Sierra Leone as a case study. It argues that despite the traditional challenges women faced they were able to contribute significantly to the conclusion of the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone, and have since earned a position of respect in society that has given them a larger role to play in government, politics and the private sector.
    [Show full text]
  • Breaking Barriers: Women in Transition
    Breaking Barriers: Women in Transition (An investigation into the new emerging social sub group of professional Muslim women in Sierra Leone) Fatmatta B. Taqi (Cole) October 2010 This thesis is in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Anglia Ruskin University for the award degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Women’s Studies (Social Sciences), Cambridge, United Kingdom. “Two parties are required in order to bring about oppression. One is the oppressor and the other is the one who accepts oppression. Oppression cannot be one sided. An oppressor cannot perform oppression in the air. Oppression is like a piece of iron which is formed by the striking of the hammer of the oppressor upon the anvil of the oppressed. Thus, women themselves participate in the attack upon their values by allowing themselves to be oppressed and by not searching out their roots.” Ali Shariati (1991, p8) Dedication To my mother, who has been my total inspiration and who has succeeded in breaking barriers by overcoming the burdens associated with being an African, a Sierra Leonean, a Muslim, a wife, a mother and a career professional. To my sons, Murad and Hafeez, who I hope would be the new generation of Sierra Leonean Muslim men, who will ensure that their female counterparts are given a chance at self fulfilment and to Najmah, my daughter, whose generation might not face the trials experienced by participants of this study. i Acknowledgements Doing this research has been an un-bargained self realisation and life changing experience for me. When I decided to pursue a PhD after my Masters Degree, I neither envisaged nor imagined that it would be such a challenging task.
    [Show full text]
  • Listening to the Heartbeat of Our Ministry Saturday
    The Steffescope Volume 7, 2004 © 2004 Saturday, January 10 Dear Friends and Family: Happy New Year to all of you! The start of 2004 finds us safely back in Togo for a month of service. Thanks for your prayers for us. After spending almost eight months here last year, it was very strangely like coming home when we drove in today. We were met by the two non-variables that so characterize Togo at this time of the year: the harmatan and grassfires. As we try to stop coughing and wheezing and struggle to catch our breath, please excuse us and take a moment to see how you do on this quiz designed to see what you remember about Togo (the answers are in the postscript): 1. We’ll start with an easy one. Togo is on the continent of: (A) Africa (B) Australia (C) No such place 2. The Harmatan refers to great swirling clouds of dust reaching high into the atmosphere that ride northerly winds and cover much of Western Africa from December to March each year. This dust comes from which of the following deserts? (A) Mojave (B) Gobe (C) Sahara 3. Togo is approximately the size of which of the following states? (A) Michigan (B) West Virginia (C) California 4. The population of Togo is approximately: (A) 2.5 million (B) 3.8 million (C) 5.3 million 5. Although there are approximately 37 ethnic groups and corresponding languages spoken in Togo, which language is the national language? (A) French (B) English (C) German 6. After WWII, the German colony of Togoland was divided into two countries.
    [Show full text]