Child protection
Hands Off Our Girls outreach in Kailahun
- Location
- Luawa Chiefdom, Kailahun District
- Event
- 23 November 2019
- Published
The Hands Off Our Girls national outreach tour reached Kailahun District on 23 November 2019.
Working with local leaders
The visit addressed rape, child marriage and teenage pregnancy, and the importance of formal education. The national tour had already visited Makeni, Kono, Moyamba and Pujehun. In Kailahun, District Council Deputy Chairperson Nancy Coomber urged families to report sexual abuse even when the person responsible was someone they knew. She asked for practical support for local women’s groups. MP Wuatta Songa pointed to Parliament’s September 2019 amendment to the Sexual Offences Act.
The First Lady’s call to the community
The First Lady urged parents and community leaders to take an active role in protecting children. She called on law enforcement to take reports of sexual offences seriously.
Local partners and follow-through
Lucy Foray Gondor of Kailahun Women in Governance spoke about women’s participation. Save the Children country director Heather Campbell reaffirmed the organisation’s partnership with the Office. Social Welfare Minister Baindu Dassama-Kallon reiterated her ministry’s support. The First Lady handed the campaign over to the district’s paramount chiefs. Chief Minister Professor David Francis urged district stakeholders to take it forward.
