Behind Closed Doors
Five years after the declaration of a national state of emergency over rape and sexual violence, Sierra Leone is still grappling with shocking levels of gender-based violence.
Beneath Sierra Leone's stunning landscapes lies a deep-seated social crisis. For decades the country has been plagued by incidents of gender-based sexual violence much of it steeped in the legacy of Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war. In 2019, after reported cases of GBV doubled, Sierra Leone’s president declared a national state of emergency, including the creation of police units dedicated to tackling the problem, and life sentences for those convicted of raping a child.
Five years on, Africa Eye reporter Tyson Conteh travels across Sierra Leone to find out whether the government has delivered on its promises.
Through unprecedented access to law enforcement, the judicial system, the penal service, and survivors, Tyson Conteh’s investigation asks why, five years after the promise of firm government action, the women of Sierra Leone still face worrying levels of violence.
