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The Honourable Member of Sierra Leone’s Parliament for Tikonko Chiefdom, Bo District, Mrs. Beatrice Maaya Kangbai, underscored her government’s strides in gender equality legislation during the Global Multistakeholder Summit on Advancing Gender Equality in Nationality Laws.
The high-level roundtable meeting aimed to align national practices with global standards and forge solutions to gender-based nationality disparities.
Held from December 10 to 11, the summit brought together representatives from 24 nations where women lack equal rights to confer nationality on their children. The event was organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Equality Now, the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and UN Women.
Sierra Leone’s delegation, led by Mrs. Kangbai, highlighted the landmark 2017 amendment to the Citizenship Act, granting men and women equal rights to pass on their nationality to their children. This reform reflects Sierra Leone’s commitment to aligning national policies with global standards on gender equality.
“Platforms like this summit are essential for overcoming cultural and systemic challenges,” Mrs. Kangbai said. She emphasized Sierra Leone’s determination to foster international cooperation, enhance legal frameworks, and challenge entrenched stereotypes that hinder progress.
Sierra Leone’s Gender and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022 was also spotlighted during the summit. The act mandates a minimum 30% representation of women in decision-making positions, strengthens women’s political participation, and bolsters protections against gender-based violence.
Mrs. Kangbai noted the government’s commitment to socio-economic reforms under President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Game Changers initiative. This includes improving transparency, accountability, and equal employment opportunities while promoting women’s socio-economic empowerment and legal protections.
Other progressive laws were highlighted, such as the Domestic Violence Act (2007), Sexual Offences Act (2012, amended in 2019), and the Customary Marriage and Divorce Act (2009). These legal measures reflect Sierra Leone’s holistic approach to promoting women’s rights and addressing gender disparities.
Mrs. Kangbai commended the role of the IPU in providing technical assistance to nations like Sierra Leone. She called for greater collaboration among member states to strengthen legal frameworks promoting gender equality and advance the global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights.
The summit’s organizers lauded Sierra Leone’s active participation and commitment to actionable reforms, emphasizing the country’s role as a model for nations seeking to eliminate gender-based discrimination in nationality laws.
