Our Community Service was a workshop title “Speak Up and Break the Silence about Sexual Abuse”
delivered to young, and teenage girls of Don Bosco Fambul; a safe home for girls affected by sexual abuse,
along with fellows from the Young African Leadership Initiative Network (Cohort 14), whom delivered talks
based on their experiences, and expertise.
We had interactive sessions with the girls, and staff of Don Bosco; delivering talks on the Self Confidence,
the medical implication of rape, making peace with their past, and how we could all contribute to reducing
the alarming figure of rape and sexual penetration in Sierra Leone.
I facilitated a session on “Making Peace with your Past”; enabling them to understand the difference
between negative and positive peace, the importance of making peace with their past, and how forgiving
themselves and their perpetrators is crucial to their psychological growth.
According to the Sierra Leone Police report, the recorded number of sexual abuse in 2017 was 4,750, which
almost doubled in 2018 to 8,505.
Rainbo Centre which is a Pschosocial centre for girls affected by sexual abuse, and gender based violence,
records 2,900 cases in 2018 with 93% being below 17 years, and 60% being below age 15.
Based on a recent investigation by Don Bosco, the recorded cacses for sexual abuse from January to March
2019 is 996, and 963 being girls from 15 years of Age and below. This shows the minor are affected more by
the vice, based on what the statistic shows.
This has helped me to realise that urgent action needs to be taken to reduce this alarming figure. It is
therefore crucial to raise mass public awareness campaigns to enable others to come onboard and help
secure the future of young children being assaulted.