[{"bbox": [96, 165, 1133, 432], "category": "Text", "text": "Sierra Leone's full economic potential is untapped and the country is extremely vulnerable to economic and social shocks. Since the end of the civil war, several major setbacks limited Sierra Leone's development and economic progress: 2014-2016 Ebola and iron ore price slump; 2019-2021 Covid-19; 2022 global economic downturn due to the Russian aggression on Ukraine. The economic costs of the crisis, including setbacks to the Government's revenue mobilization goals, have worsened the already-tight fiscal financing, and Sierra Leone's is at a **high risk of debt distress**. GDP growth is now projected to reach only 3.9% in 2022 (versus an initial forecast of 5.9% in December 2021) and **public finances are under high stress**. Sierra Leone faces one of the **highest food inflation in Sub-Saharan Africa**, and by far the highest on food and transport inflation with 40% (March 2023). The local currency value has depreciated by 70%. **Protests and strikes against the rising cost of living turned violent on 10 August 2022**, with six police officers and about 30 civilians killed in Freetown."}, {"bbox": [96, 443, 1133, 551], "category": "Text", "text": "Sierra Leone is one of the **most food-insecure countries in the sub-Saharan region** (19% of the population affected), and one of the poorest in the world. **57 % of the population lives below the poverty line** with more than 10% in abject poverty, affecting disproportionately rural areas, home to 75% of the poor, though there is a rapid migration of mainly poor youth to urban centres."}, {"bbox": [96, 561, 1133, 723], "category": "Text", "text": "Sierra Leone is dangling at the bottom of all development indicators and is facing considerable threats that place additional strain on systems and people, with disproportional impact to women and girls. Development and gender equality challenges are significant. Sierra Leone's **HDI score (0.477)** is one of the **lowest in the world** and positions the country at 181 out of 195². In 2021, the country ranked **162 out of 170 on the UNDP's Gender Inequality³**, with very high rate of violence against women and girls (VAWG) here-included Harmful Practices such as female genital mutilation or cutting (experienced by 86% of women) and child marriage."}, {"bbox": [96, 732, 1133, 868], "category": "Text", "text": "Sierra Leone faces complex, **interlinked, and persistent development challenges**: i) Weak Government effectiveness, patronage system, high levels of corruption and a fragile democracy, ii) Economic challenges of stagnation, unemployment and low productivity, iii) Social challenges of poverty, inequality, a sizeable precariat combined with population growth, iv) Environmental challenges of an alarming loss of primary natural forest and forest degradation, biodiversity loss, degrading ecosystems and high climate change vulnerability."}, {"bbox": [96, 877, 1133, 1013], "category": "Text", "text": "To address the country longstanding social and economic challenges and increasing inequalities, and unleash its full developmental potential **the 2018 National Development Plan identified Gender Equality as a key developmental objective**, namely \"by 2023, drastically reduce by more than 50% the number of women experiencing GBV compared to 2018\". Since then, the Government of Sierra Leone has indeed pursued a resolute Women Empowerment and Gender Equality agenda."}, {"bbox": [96, 1022, 1133, 1423], "category": "Text", "text": "**In 2019 H.E. the President Julius Maada Bio declared a State of Emergency over sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and called on the EU, the UN, and other development partners to make significant, concerted and comprehensive investment in gender equality and the fight against SGBV. A fierce national campaign** (the 'Hands Off Our Girls') was launched - led by the **First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone** - to increase awareness of violence against girls in Sierra Leone; the institutional set up for Gender Equality reinforced through the **establishment of a stand-alone Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs** with focused political leadership and a complement of professional staff who would advise the presidency and national government on gender equality, formulate policies, draw up appropriate legislation, coordinate partnerships, collaborate across ministries and with international and local partners, engage community stakeholders, monitor and evaluate programmes, etc. In the same year the newly established Ministry successfully **laid at Parliament a Bill to reform the 2012 Sexual Offences Act** in view to strengthen the legal framework applicable to VAWG. The new law introduced amongst others, the offence of aggravated sexual assault and increased the maximum penalty for rape and sexual penetration of a child. **A National Male Involvement Strategy for the Prevention of Sexual and Gender Based Violence** was also adopted in 2019 to accelerate the prevention of GBV by encouraging the participation of men and boys as change agents and champions of women's and girls' rights."}, {"bbox": [96, 1433, 1133, 1542], "category": "Text", "text": "**In 2020**, upon enactment of the revised Sexual Offences Bill, **the SGBV Special Courts were established** to enable speedier management of SGBV cases, as well as a **24-hour free hot-line** and a **pilot network of 6 One-Stop Centers (OSC)** to provide in one single location multi-sectoral response services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including justice, medical, and legal aid. **Sierra Leone is a precursor of the OSC concept**"}, {"bbox": [85, 1597, 854, 1623], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1621, 803, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/thematic-composite-indices/gender-inequality-index"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 35"}]