The view from Freetown

So I wrote this on Monday after our first full day...we haven't had internet until now. Although we've had a lot of meetings since then and some of my initial perceptions have changed, I thought I'd go ahead and post these impressions. Hopefully we'll be able to post more (and pictures) later this week!

Today we spent our first full day in Sierra Leone, and it was a productive one. We began by meeting with some contacts at the SCSL, who are helping us arrange some meetings with government officials later in the week. We then met with the founders of an NGO, Peace Links, which focuses on conflict resolution and capacity building for youth, including training in visual and performing arts. The organization was founded a year before the conflict, though it has since done considerable work regarding reintegration. We learned that there are currently no programs or government interventions for the children of rape, which seems like a major gap.

Next we met with the head of the Family Support Unit, a division with the Sierra Leone Police Department that is responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases relating to sexual violence. She identified several challenges the FSU faces in carrying out its mission: inadequate resources (especially vehicles, which results in very limited mobility), no witness protection program, and no independent budget (FSU’s budget is not treated as separate from the budget of the police department as a whole).

One theme that seemed to emerge from both meetings was a willingness and perhaps desire to forget the past. In part because of the Lomé Amnesty, FSU is not investigating or prosecuting any war-related crimes of sexual violence. Similarly, the head of Peace Links advised us that former child soldiers should no longer be referred to as “ex-combatants” but as “people affected by the war.” There seems to be a commitment to looking forward and creating distance from the conflict, even if that means that perpetrators walk free and survivors go unheard. Nevertheless, in both interviews we heard that rates of sexual violence since the conflict remained quite high, and perhaps have even increased.

On a more optimistic note, in both interviews we were told that FSU has become quite well known and respected, and that is has a presence in every police department in Sierra Leone. This would suggest that people are becoming more aware of their rights in the face of domestic violence.

During the remainder of our time today we set up meetings with a variety of other NGOs for the rest of the week. I can’t speak for Taylor and Betsy, who have both traveled much more extensively in Africa than I have, but for me, this trip has already been very eye-opening. I feel lucky to be here and humbled by how welcoming and kind everyone has been so far.