The First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, has on Tuesday, 7th November 2023, delivered a speech on the day set aside to commemorate the rape victims in the country. This speech was delivered at the Weekly Press Conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education at the Foreign Affairs Conference Hall.
Dr. Fatima Maada Bio said that November 18 is a date to commemorate the rape victims, whom she referred to as a vulnerable group that has been victimized because of their vulnerability. She continued that this was the first time to commemorate this group of people in the country, and in this commemoration she was going to receive the Gambia and Angola First Ladies to support and grace the occasion.
She said the day is purposefully set aside to pray for the victims that involved in such horrendous act and also encouraged Sierra Leoneans to pray for these victims. The First Lady further talked about her invitation by the United Nations to represent the other First Ladies on the Zero Waste – an event which the Turkish First Lady is going to be the Chair and the first Zero Waste meeting is going to be held in Sierra Leone and this event also is going to be witnessed by the Turkish First Lady.
Being a champion for girls, the First Lady narrated an event that led to the formation of the ‘Hands of our Girls’ in Sierra Leone. She said that when they were in opposition, a girl accused a sitting Minister of raping her, and this was the reason she decided to bring an initiative to stop the previous issue of the last government.
She continued that the above was the reason that gave life to the Hands of our Girls, which she further said without the help of other people, Hands of our Girls could not have taken this height.
