Legal Reforms Alone Cannot End GBV
By Abdul Rahman Bah
Reports from the United Nations Population Fund, 2024, show that 62 percent of women aged 15–49 have experienced physical or sexual violence, highlighting the widespread nature of gender-based abuse in the country. Experts warn that this is not simply a collection of isolated incidents but a systemic problem deeply rooted in social, cultural, and economic structures. Research by the United Nations Population Fund, 2024, further indicates that 61 percent of ever-married women have suffered violence from their spouses, showing that homes, where women should feel safest, often remain the most dangerous places.
Findings from The Guardian, 2025, reveal that female genital mutilation (FGM) affects approximately 83 percent of women, a practice internationally recognized as a severe violation of human rights. Data from the United Nations Population Fund, 2024, and discussions on Reddit, 2025, show that child marriage remains a major challenge, exposing girls to early pregnancy, domestic abuse, and interrupted education. These practices not only compromise girls’ health and development but also perpetuate cycles of poverty and dependence, reinforcing systemic gender inequality.
The government of Sierra Leone has passed several landmark laws aimed at combating gender-based violence. Experts at the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice for Africa, 2025, explain that the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 criminalizes domestic abuse and provides protection mechanisms for survivors. Research from Christiana Aid, 2025, highlights the Sexual Offences Act of 2012, strengthened by the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act of 2019, which introduces specialized courts and harsher penalties for rape to ensure faster prosecution and better survivor protection. Reports from Industrial Relations News, 2025, also note that the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act mandates a minimum 30 percent representation of women in leadership, enforces equal pay, and strengthens institutional responses to sexual and gender-based violence.
Despite these legal reforms, challenges remain. Data from the IDEA Global State of Democracy Report, 2025, and Human Rights Watch, 2024, indicate that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 criminalizes marriage for anyone under 18 and provides legal protection for victims. However, findings from the ECOWAS Court ruling on FGM, 2025, show that female genital mutilation remains legally unaddressed, leaving millions of women at risk and demonstrating a significant gap in the country’s legislative framework.
Research by Ecoi.net, 2025, points out that the justice system often fails survivors. Many courts are overburdened, legal fees are prohibitively high, and in rural areas, survivors rarely access justice. Surveys from Afrobarometer, 2025, reveal that domestic violence is often considered a private matter that families must resolve themselves, discouraging reporting and isolating survivors. These barriers mean that many women face violence with little hope of accountability for perpetrators.
International partnerships have sought to fill some of these gaps. Findings from the United Nations Population Fund, 2025, highlight the Spotlight Initiative, a joint program by the European Union and the UN, aimed at preventing gender-based violence, strengthening institutional responses, and promoting cultural change. Reports from UNDP Sierra Leone, 2025, show that the Criminal Procedure Act 2024 modernized judicial processes, enabling survivors greater access to justice and offering alternative sentencing that considers the welfare of families.
Experts emphasize that legal reforms alone are insufficient to end gender-based violence. Social norms, entrenched patriarchal attitudes, and economic dependence continue to reinforce inequality. The United Nations Population Fund, 2024; Industrial Relations News, 2025; Human Rights Watch, 2024; UNDP Sierra Leone, 2025; Afrobarometer, 2025; Ecoi.net, 2025; and Reddit, 2025, collectively demonstrate that Sierra Leone’s gender-based violence crisis is not only a legal problem but a human rights emergency affecting the health, education, and dignity of women and girls. Advocates stress that comprehensive measures, including criminalization of FGM, robust enforcement of existing laws, accessible survivor support services, and deep cultural shifts, are urgently needed.
Pulling the lens back, it becomes clear that the persistence of gender-based violence in Sierra Leone reflects more than harmful customs or isolated crimes. It is a symptom of systemic inequality, where laws, institutions, and social attitudes intersect to keep women and girls vulnerable. Without significant changes in enforcement, education, and cultural perception, these patterns are likely to continue, undermining decades of progress toward gender equality and social development.
