Twelve years after Sierra Leone’s long civil war came to an end, its
broken institutions and weak development indicators continue to impact
on the lives of its people.
And as ever it’s women who bear the brunt. Aside from the usual grim
data, one statistic stands out: the number of female prisoners has
doubled over the past three years.
IRIN’s latest film, Women Behind Bars,
tries to understand why prison rates for women are soaring. It follows
two paralegals, Victoria and Marvel (AKA Small Pepper) as they fight for
the rights of women trapped in poverty, and a corrupt system that
discriminates against them.
In a country of only 400 lawyers, Sierra Leone’s 80 paralegals have a
crucial role to play in trying to deliver basic human rights. As we
watch Victoria and Marvel at work, negotiating with police and prison
authorities, advising and at times cajoling the women they have come to
help, it becomes clear how daunting that task is.
from here
Commentary and analysis to persuade people to become socialist and to act for themselves, organizing democratically and without leaders, to bring about a world of common ownership and free access. We are solely concerned with building a movement of socialists for socialism. We are not reformists with a programme of policies to patch up capitalism.
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