Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) remains a distressing issue, particularly affecting women and girls in vulnerable communities. In the relentless pursuit of justice and safety, Caritas Freetown’s SGBV Project has been making significant strides by collaborating closely with SGBV survivors and relevant authorities actively working to address the scourge of SGBV.
“In the face of SGBV, silence is not an option. We must stand together to protect the vulnerable women and girls,” emphasizes Kumba Gando, the Team Lead of the SGBV Project.
To fortify this crucial partnership and enhance the collective effort against SGBV, today, the Caritas Freetown SGBV Project continues to extend its support to the Sierra Leone Police Family Support Unit (FSU). Essential stationery items including cartons of A4 paper and box of pens were provided to 10 police stations’ FSU units in Western Area Rural.
Notably, this distribution is done underlining the project’s commitment to empowering the Family Support Units responsible for combating SGBV.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Allieu Jalloh, the Officer Commanding (OC) Newton Police Post, expressed gratitude for the continuous support from the SGBV Project. He acknowledged the impact of the quarterly training sessions conducted by Caritas Freetown, which have significantly enhanced the capacity of the FSU personnel to properly handle SGBV cases. “The SGBV Project has been conducting training us, which has greatly contributed to the development of our human resource capacity in handling SGBV cases,” stated ASP Allieu Jalloh.
Furthermore, Sheriff L. Bah, an Outreach Officer of the Caritas Freetown SGBV Project Team, highlighted the importance of data collection from the various FSU units to monitor the trends in which SGBV cases are happening to assess the effectiveness of the project awareness-raising sensitization efforts. It also plays a crucial role in ensuring that victims receive the justice they rightfully deserve.
Through these collaborative efforts, Caritas Freetown and the Sierra Leone Police FSU Division are working tirelessly to raise awareness about the dangers of SGBV and its profound consequences. The goal is to reach more communities, sensitize more individuals, and ultimately create a safer environment for all.
