by Executive Director | Dec 2, 2020 | Blogs, COVID-19
Fatmata*1 is a chairlady of commercial sex workers in one of Sierra Leone’s brothels. According to Fatmata*, COVID-19 regulations, especially imposed curfews, made her and other CSWs’ lives even more vulnerable and precarious. To enforce curfews, Sierra Leone Police...
by Executive Director | Dec 2, 2020 | Blogs, COVID-19
“I was so scared when I was arrested, I couldn’t say anything to the police.” During Sierra Leone’s periodic lockdowns, which started on 5th April, a number of girls and women were arrested for going out to get necessities, like food and water, for their families....
by Executive Director | Oct 22, 2020 | Blogs, COVID-19
Amina* is a 34 year old fish trader in Freetown. She buys fish in large quantities, dries them and then takes them to the provinces to sell on village market days. To boost her fish business, in February 2020, she took a Le 1,500,000 loan (approx $140) with 5%...
by Executive Director | Oct 22, 2020 | Blogs, COVID-19
Hawa* is a young Muslim woman who runs a small kiosk business. One day as she travelled into town she was stopped by the police who asked why she was not wearing a mask. She tried to explain that with a full face covering niqab there is no need for a mask as her whole...
by Executive Director | Oct 22, 2020 | Blogs, COVID-19
Felicia* is a mother with a new-born struggling to provide for herself and her son. With trading hours restricted by the curfew, her earnings are much reduced. Whatever she makes is spent on his care and buying a small amount of food for herself when she can afford...
by Executive Director | Aug 10, 2020 | COVID-19, Press Releases, Reports
First comprehensive study of women in Sierra Leone’s prisons finds 62% of those interviewed were pre-trial detainees Pretrial detention contributes to overcrowding, which is alarming with the current COVID-19 pandemic 34% interviewees had been arrested and...
