Sierra Leone Declares National Rape Emergency
President Julius Bio has upped the maximum punishment for rape of a minor and called on the country to address its rape “scourge.” The move follows an outcry over the rape of a 5-year-old girl by her male relative.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio declared rape and sexual violence a national emergency on Thursday, calling for an end to the culture of “indifference” and impunity surrounding it.
His announcement follows a national outcry over the prevalence of sexual violence in the West African nation, where recorded cases of sexual and gender-based violence doubled last year, reaching 8,505 in a population of 7.5 million, according to police statistics.
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Source: Allafrica