By Winnie Kamau
Several Human Rights Organizations have moved to the Regional Court of West Africa to challenge the Sierra Leonean Law that prohibits Teen Mums to attend school and sit for exams. The human rights organizations based in Sierra Leone moved to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, seeking to lift the ban issued on pregnant school girls from attending school and sitting exams.
The case also seeks to hold the Government of Sierra Leone to account for their failure to respect, protect, and fulfill the girls’ right to education.
According to Amnesty International report the ban was issued on April 2015 by Ministry of education Science and Technology bannining visibly pregnant girls attending mainstream school and taking exams. The Government of Sierra Leone is alleged to have issued the discriminatory ban after the alleged increase of rape cases during the deadly outbreak of Ebola.
The International Women’s rights organization Equality Now, The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and various other organizations have enjoined in the case and are also seeking to end Gender discrimination in Sierra Leone.
The Activists say the law has continuously increased the stigma surrounding pregnant girls and a set back to thousands of girls in their studies.
“Today marks the beginning of the realization of rights for girls in Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS court is finally seized of the injustices suffered by girls in Sierra Leone.” Judy Gitau- Nkuranga, Equality Now
Judy was addressing the press in Bo district in Sierra Leone. She iterated the need for justice for girls, who are victims of sexual exploitation and rape.
It is yet to be seen if the wheels of Justice at the Regional Court will be slow or quick to turn the unabated violation of girls rights to education in Sierra Leone.
