Sierra Leone: Let Girls Learn

In Sierra Leone ‘visibly’ pregnant girls are banned from attending school. In many cases these girls are pregnant as a result of rape and sexual exploitation. This is a violation of their right to education, as well as their right to live free from gender based violence and exploitation. In 2018, Equality Now, along with Women Against Violence Exploitation in Society (WAVES), Child Welfare Society, and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa filed a case in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice against Sierra Leone’s ban on pregnant girls attending school. In December 2019, the court found that the government of Sierra Leone breached the right of pregnant girls to education by prohibiting pregnant school girls from accessing school. Additionally, Equality Now continues to work with our partners in the region to increase awareness of the issue in Sierra Leone and around the world and to amplify the voices of girls who have been affected by the ban.