Gender base violence on the increase in the East of Freetown

 

As Covid 19 ravages Sierra Leone,

Gender base violence on the increase in the East of Freetown

By Saidu Dumbuya

In Sierra Leone, physical assault on women and girls has been on the increase amidst COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to the line manager of the Family Support Unit (FSU) in Calaba Town Police Station. “The coronavirus era record shows that, cases of assault at the Calaba Town Police Station went up as against the pre-pandemic records; despite concerted efforts by government to reduce the abuse” continued the FSU man.

                                      Minister of Gender Affiars Manty Tarawali

Speaking to Detective Police, Sergent Ibrahim Kamara, he affirmed that there is slight increase in the number of assault cases on women and girls as compared to pre-pandemic era.

He said that investigations led them to discover increased unemployment on the part of the men, as a key factor, noting that young men without jobs are no longer capable of taking care of their matrimonial homes because of lack of resources, leaving the burden on their wives which has caused great mistrust in many homes.

On the area of the girls, Kamara revealed that the key factor leading to their abuse is the vulnerability of their homes which men are quick to take advantage of, especially with girls on whom such homes largely depend for daily survival.

The Detective Police Sergent referenced a matter of assault on one Kadiatu Kamara by her husband as a case in point.

Kadiatu, he stated, was beaten by her husband, Osman Kargbo upon querying him for not sleeping at home. Also, Kadiatu alleged that her husband does not provide the much needed resource to run the home where they both have three children.

The FSU Line manager maintained that he received a sudden distress call from one of the neighbors in the early hours of Wednesday, 26 May 2021, informing that one Osman Kargbo had mercilessly beaten his wife and she was now in coma.

Kamara explained that they immediately responded to the call by rushing to the scene of crime, and that upon arrival, they saw Kadiatu laying hopelessly on the ground in a pool of blood with cold water been poured on her entire body.

He said that they wasted no time to rush with Kadiatu to the Rokupa Government Hospital, where she was admitted and treated.

Kadiatu Kamara, the victim, after recovering from coma explained to this medium that her husband beat her up because she enquired with him as to where he passed the previous night.

"My husband is in the habit of sleeping out of his matrimonial home," she affirmed, pointing out that on that day he slept out and upon his return, she had cause to query him.

"But no sooner I asked him than he gave me a heavy slap on my lower region of the right jaw, and then locked up the door as he continued to beat me up," Kadiatu explained, adding that all efforts by neighbours to get him stop the beating fell on deaf ears.

According to her, this is not the first time of facing cruel and inhuman treatment from her husband, but for the umptieth time.

Osman Kargbo in his response to this medium, he said that he did not mean to beat his wife in that manner and said that the allegation she levied against him was untrue. Speaking on the area of providing enough resources for the family, Kargbo said that he does not receive enough money from his job to support his family.

He argued that he decided to pass the night at his friend's house because he left his place of work very late.

"I realized that if I decided to go home as late as it had already been, I might be attacked by armed gangs," he stated.

One of the neighbors, Alpha Sesay, said they are tired of Osman's brutality against his wife, the more reason they had cause to call upon the police for intervention.

"We tried all our best to stop Osman, but he deliberately locked up the door so that nobody could penetrate into the room to help rescue the woman," Alpha recounted.

Meanwhile, according to the medical report issued to the victim, she sustained right arm internal bleeding, lower jaw injuries and internal body pains. The police intend to charge the case to court but Kadiatu wants to keep her marriage. The police is now caught up in between the two situations - saving Kadiatu’s marriage and serving justice.

This story was produced with support from Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), through it's Mobilizing Media in the Fight Against COVID-19 in partnership with Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.