BRIEFING NOTE - THE MALE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY IN SIERRA LEONE: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS

This encourages ‘the participation of men and boys as change agents and champions of women’s and girls’ rights, in their families, communities, schools and work places.’ (Government of Sierra Leone, 2020) 4 The male engagement strategy in Sierra Leone: a feminist analysis Organisations were encouraged to use the strategy in the design and implementation of their SGBV prevention and women’s empower. [...] The positive response of interviewees in Liberia and Sierra Leone to the concept of male engagement prompted our interest in the further investigation of the conception and application of such a strategy in Sierra Leone. [...] The Government introduced a number of measures in quick succession, including the declaration of a national emergency on SGBV in 2019, the enactment of an amended Sexual Offences Act in 2019, and the enactment of the National Male Involvement Strategy for the Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Sierra Leone in 2020. [...] Within this framework, it is argued that men need to be seen as part of the solution, not just as part of the problem and that they need to be involved and challenged, through education and awareness raising, to critically reflect on the pervasiveness of patriarchy, male power and privilege and the costs of violence against women to men and boys, as well as women and girls (Connell and Messerschmi. [...] We focused on the delivery, content, and impact of these trainings (measured by the responses of some of the spouses in connection with the changes they have experienced since their spouses became members of the pamama groups), to understand the ways in which they have been able to transform gender relations and change gender norms in their communities.