The Mano River Women Peace Network (MARWOPNET), with support from Irish Aid in partnership with UN Women, has concluded a one-day community engagement in Zimmi, Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun District, aimed at raising awareness and strengthening community action against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and other forms of violence against women and girls.

The engagement, held on Saturday, 8 August 2026, at the Zimmi Community Hall, brought together community stakeholders, security personnel, women and girls, youth, the media and other community representatives.

The programme commenced with a march-past from the main junction in Zimmi to the community hall, where participants gathered for discussions and awareness-raising activities focused on preventing SGBV, domestic violence, harmful traditional practices and digital violence against women and girls.

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Chairing the engagement, Ibrahim Boiguwa Swaray, Pujehun District Coordinator of MARWOPNET, educated participants on the need to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of violence against women and girls. He also called for safer social media spaces and greater protection of the rights and interests of women and girls in communities.
The session was officially opened by John Lahai, Project Coordinator for MARWOPNET, who explained that the engagement was designed primarily to address sexual and gender-based violence while also tackling emerging forms of violence, particularly digital violence against women and girls.
He said the programme also sought to promote safe and responsible use of social media and encourage the meaningful inclusion of women and girls in leadership and decision-making processes.
Speaking at the event, Chief Abdulai Konneh, Town Chief of Zimmi, thanked MARWOPNET for its continued support to women and girls in the community.

He noted that the organisation had created opportunities for women and girls and said several government policies and laws were also designed to protect and advance their interests. However, he observed that women often fail to participate in community development meetings because of their business and household responsibilities.

The Town Chief therefore called on women to increase their participation in community meetings and development activities.
For her part, Princess Sesay, Chairlady of Zimmi, expressed appreciation to MARWOPNET and noted that the government had created numerous opportunities for women and girls. She encouraged women to take advantage of these opportunities, empower themselves and become economically independent. She also appealed to men to join the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, including violence perpetrated against women and girls through social media.

Meanwhile, Juldeh Jalloh, Officer in Charge of the Zimmi Police Post, said incidents of violence against women and girls had reduced in the area since he assumed responsibility at the post. He encouraged women and girls to report cases of violence promptly to the police and other relevant authorities, stressing the importance of early reporting in addressing such cases.

Giving an overview of MARWOPNET, Madam Marian Saamu, Program Lead for the organisation, described it as a women-led, sub-regional civil society peacebuilding network established to bring women from the Mano River countries together to prevent conflict, promote peace, participate in political and peace processes, defend women’s rights and contribute to development.
She explained that MARWOPNET emerged from the devastating civil wars that affected Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as the instability and refugee crisis experienced in Guinea.

According to her, despite progress made over the years, women and girls continue to face various forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, domestic violence and abuse through social media. Madam Saamu also highlighted the growing concern over digital violence against women and girls, noting that the use of social media to intimidate or harass women is now a criminal offence in Sierra Leone. She assured participants that MARWOPNET would continue taking the message to communities until violence against women and girls is significantly reduced and ultimately eradicated.

Delivering the keynote address, Abdulai Kallon of the Office of National Security (ONS) thanked MARWOPNET for organising the engagement and called on participants to become ambassadors for the campaign against sexual and gender-based violence.
He urged communities to work together to eradicate SGBV, domestic violence and violence against women and girls on social media, while also promoting increased participation of women in leadership and decision-making.
Kallon particularly called on men to support and empower women and girls, stressing that “when you empower a girl, you have empowered the world.”
He also encouraged women to support one another and take advantage of opportunities that could position them for leadership roles.

The engagement ended with renewed calls for stronger community action, increased reporting of violence, responsible use of social media, women’s participation in leadership and collective efforts to protect women and girls from all forms of violence.