Source: WILDAF
The last three or four decades has seen a significant rise in the nature and number of conflicts in Africa, along with the number of non-combattant civilian victims. Conflicts disrupt community and family life, leading to separation and or displacement of family members.

Women and children are the most affected target groups. Millions of women and children spend many years in refugees camp or as displaced persons within their own country, with no recognised rights.

As part of their policy of insuring that women refugees and internally displaced returnees going back to their places of origin are provided with specific assistance to ensure that they reintegrate their communities in condition of safety and dignity, UNHCR sought WiLDAF assistance to train 60 female beneficiaries who are members of women organisations in Sierra Leone and Guinea and who are already committed in the struggle for the promotion and protection of women's human rights

This manual has therefore been put together for women organisations working with
women refugees and internally displaced persons.

The general objective is to reinforce the capacities of women's organisations in Sierra Leone to undertake legal literacy programs with the view to assisting women to assert their rights under the law

The specific objectives are:

-Start a process of reflection on gender and gender role and how they affect
status of women and men.
-Create awareness about national and international laws dealing with the issues.
-Equip participants with skills to enable them carry out legal literacy and rights
education in their community.

The manual is structured along the following lines:

Chapter 1: Raising awareness on gender and women's rights issues
Chapter 2: National laws
Chapter 3: Introduction to women's human rights
Chapter 4: Violence against women

To read the full document, please click here

• Sierra Leone