Dear JOhn,

Today, the government of Sierra Leone has finally lifted the discriminatory ban that prohibits pregnant schoolgirls from attending school, heralding the beginning of a remarkable era for adolescent girls in the country.

This is such wonderful news. It is a recognition that girls in Sierra Leone have a right to learn; that girls have rights! That the girl child is an equal human being to her male counterparts in society.

This declaration follows the ruling by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice last December, which found the ban to be in violation of the right of pregnant girls to education.

In the case we filed along with partners Women Against Violence in Society (W.A.V.E.S) and Child Welfare Society in collaboration with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), the Court held that the policy was discriminatory against schoolgirls in Sierra Leone as it barred pregnant schoolgirls from attending mainstream schools; and only allowed them to get their education in “special” schools that operated three days a week and only taught four subjects.

We congratulate the government of Sierra Leone for taking a step forward for justice and for the realization of the rights of girls in Sierra Leone. We continue to call on the Government to fully implement the court’s decision.

>>>Read more about today’s victory on our blog<<<

Pregnant girls in Tanzania are still excluded from school

Unfortunately in Tanzania, school-going girls who fall pregnant are still at risk of being locked out of the country’s education system. Since independence, Tanzania has had a discriminatory ban that denies pregnant school girls their right to education. This ban has been reinforced by political statements made by the Head of State calling for a total denial of the right to education for girls who conceive. 

More than 55,000 schoolgirls in Tanzania have been expelled from school over the last decade as a result of the ban. They too need our support and we are working to remove this discriminatory ban so that girls can enjoy their right to education.

In solidarity,

Faiza Mohamed 

Africa Regional Director