One of the most meaningful times during the 2024 Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering was the opportunity to present the 2024 Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award to Julie Mariama Sesay from Sierra Leone for her lifetime of advocacy to end female genital mutilation and violence against women. We are grateful for the opportunity to support her advocacy efforts as one of this year’s Day of Prayer projects.
Women and girls in Sierra Leone and across Western Africa are vulnerable to violence and discrimination. The existence of strong patriarchal traditions, inequities in education, and lack of confidence has hindered women from seeking their right to live and earn their livelihood. To address this problem, this initiative seeks to empower vulnerable women with knowledge and awareness about human and legal rights so they can emerge with strong leadership qualities to tackle the epidemic of violence and discrimination against women.
Through your support, project leaders will: (1) identify and document existing cases of violence against women in the project area; (2) provide immediate rescue and rehabilitation support to victims of extreme violence and discrimination trauma as well as counseling and medical support; (3) organize training workshops for local women leaders on human rights and legal rights and support for them to further organize workshops at the grassroots level; (4) organize education campaigns that teach men how to respect and protect women in the project area; and (5) offer livelihood skills development and training for victims of violence.
