UN rights official calls for more donor help for Sierra Leone women

The United Nations special envoy on violence against women today called for more donor commitments to support the women of Sierra Leone, particularly those who have been displaced from their homes.

Addressing a press conference in Freetown at the conclusion of her week-long visit to Sierra Leone, the UN's Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, expressed concern over the social state of women whose condition has been worsened by a decade of civil strife, adding that "the donor community is not responding appropriately."

Ms. Coomaraswamy also said her office was concerned over the country's commitment to the main international treaty dealing with women's rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, which Sierra Leone has signed. Other problems confronting women in Sierra Leone included the use of women as sexual slaves, rape, drug abuse, traditional practices that are harmful to women, including female genital mutilation, and discriminatory laws on inheritance, she said.

During her visit to Sierra Leone, Ms. Coomaraswamy met with officials from the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), President Ahmed Kabbah and senior members of his Government, foreign diplomats, the high command of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and several women's organizations. She also visited Kenema, Bo and Makeni, where she heard testimonies from female victims of psychological and physical atrocities perpetrated during the civil war.

In response to reporters' questions on the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Ms. Coomaraswamy said those who had committed atrocities should be held accountable for their crimes. She pointed out, however, that only those who bore the greatest responsibility should be brought before the Court and that this should be done in a manner that does not jeopardize the current peace process. The Special Rapporteur also called for the inclusion of women on the Special Court and related bodies.