As Sierra Leone together with the rest of the world celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child under the global theme – Our time is now—our rights, our future, Kadiatu (not her real name), now a 16 year old in detention has never heard about this day or know what it means.
At the age of 10, Kadiatu was a victim of early child and forced marriage in Sierra Leone. During this time, she experienced various forms of child abuse resulting in long term behavioral impacts on her as a child and her mental health. This was how she came in contact with Sierra Leone’s patriarchal criminal justice system and has currently served 6 years in detention.
Because AdvocAid works with women and girls who come in contact with the law, AdvocAid’s Social Worker had a conversation with her about this Day and explained to her the relevance of this day to girls around the world. With that Kadiatu said that “Today, means that girls like me should be listened to because we know our experiences best.”
When she was asked what she wants to be when grows up, she said that she wants to be a lawyer and wants AdvocAid to support her legal education. She added, “I want to be a lawyer so that I can represent girls like me that are in detention as they cannot afford lawyers.” Kadiatu said that most of the incarcerated teenagers at the remand home are still in detention because they do not have access to lawyers.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, Kadiatu made specific requests to the leaders of Sierra Leone. She wants the government to protect the future of children in detention centers and also provide educational and economic empowerment while they are still in detention and out of detention.
The story of Kadiatu is an example of how children typically experience violence at the hands of the people they trust the most, denying them an opportunity to enjoy their childhood and pursue
their future goals. Violence against children is under-reported for various reasons with one being that children lack the capacity to report violence because they either fear reprisals by perpetrators or interventions by authorities, both of which may worsen their overall situation.
On this day, we want to remind the Sierra Leone government of its commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals to end violence against children. The government has to take bolder action in legislating and enforcing laws that protect and promote the rights and welfare of girls that come in contact with the law.
As Kadiatu believes that this Day means that girls like her should be listened to because they know their experiences best, we also call upon the government to ensure the effective participation of girls like Kadiatu in the protection of other girls in Sierra Leone. This is important because children can have a different perception of what their key vulnerabilities are and they are able to reach out and identify other vulnerable children in the community. Children like Kadiatu will also gain confidence and skills in expressing their views, which can further their own self-protection.
As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia said, “All girls know that they can be anything now. That transformation is to me one of the most satisfying things”. So as we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child today, we want to urge everyone to take collective and individual action to protect, promote and defend the rights of all girls around the world.
Let us protect the future of girls like Kadiatu to become what they want to be while still in detention and after they leave detention. Let us protect their resourcefulness, creativity, tenacity, and resilience. It is time for us all to stand accountable – with and for all girls – and to invest in a future that believes in their agency, leadership and potential.