We hope to celebrate this final step in South Sudan’s decade-long journey to ratification.

For years, the government in Sierra Leone banned visibly pregnant girls from attending school, violating their right to education. Three years ago, this ban was lifted following the tireless efforts of activists and a successful court case brought to the ECOWAS Court by Equality Now and our partners Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES), Child Welfare Society (CWS), and the Institute for Human Rights and Development (IHRDA).

Following this successful judgment in December 2019, President Julius Maada Bio three years ago lifted the ban prohibiting pregnant schoolgirls from attending school. 

To mark this anniversary, we are looking back at the journey to this victory by releasing a film telling the story of the Sierra Leonean girls’ tenacity.

Since then, we have been working tirelessly to ensure that the government of Sierra Leone addresses the underlying drivers that perpetuate sexual violence against school going-girls in Sierra Leone, thereby threatening their right to be free from violence as well as their right to education.

In solidarity,

Faiza Jama Mohamed  
Director, Africa