Sierra Leone

2012
Denney L, Ibrahim AF. Violence against women in Sierra Leone: How women seek redress. Overseas Development Institute; 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.odi.org/publications/7184-violence-against-women-sierra-leone...

This paper presents the findings of a short case study in Sierra Leone considering violence against women

An objective of the study is to contribute to an emerging body of research on the merits of using political economy analysis to reflect on the kinds of factors policymakers and practitioners should consider in developing interventions to address particular policy problems. 

Against this background, this study focuses principally on understanding the nature of the problem of VAW, and then works up through the different options women may (or may not) have for seeking redress along the justice chains in Sierra Leone.  

Let Me Not Die Before my Time: Domestic Violence in West Africa. International Rescue Committee; 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.rescue-uk.org/search/site/let%20me%20not%20die%20before%20my...

Domestic violence knows no boundaries, and many of the stories and findings included in this report could describe the experiences of women in virtually any country. Too often, women’s subordinate status allows violence to occur in silence and prevents women from seizing opportunities. For this report, the IRC has chosen to focus on West Africa in order to demonstrate how this global problem becomes acute in post-conflict countries, keeping women from leading their societies to peace and prosperity. The destruction of war creates a particularly dangerous situation for women that the humanitarian community can no longer ignore.

2003
"We'll kill you if you cry" - Sexual Violence in the Sierra Leone Conflict. Washington, DC: Human Rights Watch; 2003. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.hrw.org/report/2003/01/16/well-kill-you-if-you-cry/sexual-vi...

Throughout the armed conflict in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2001, thousands of women and girls of all ages, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes were subjected to widespread and systematic sexual violence, including individual and gang rape, and rape with objects such as weapons, firewood, umbrellas, and pestles. Rape was perpetrated by both sides, but mostly by the rebel forces. These crimes of sexual violence were generally characterized by extraordinary brutality and frequently preceded or followed by other egregious human rights abuses against the victim, her family, and her community. Although the rebels raped indiscriminately irrespective of age, they targeted young women and girls whom they thought were virgins. Many of these younger victims did not survive these crimes of sexual violence. Adult women were also raped so violently that they sometimes bled to death or suffered from tearing in the genital area, causing long-term incontinence and severe infections. Many victims who were pregnant at the time of rape miscarried as a result of the sexual violence they were subjected to, and numerous women had their babies torn out of their uterus as rebels placed bets on the sex of the unborn child.

2002
Rehn E, Sirleaf EJ. Women, War and Peace - Executive Summary. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); 2002. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2002/1/women-war-...

"Women, War and Peace" covers topics such as peace operations, use of media, reconstruction, health, and prevention. By sharing the personal stories of women involved in these efforts, the book shows that through willingness and support, there is hope that women will be continually involved in peace operations. 

Rehn E, Sirleaf EJ. Women, War and Peace - Experts' Biographical Sketches. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); 2002. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2002/1/women-war-...

"Women, War and Peace" covers topics such as peace operations, use of media, reconstruction, health, and prevention. By sharing the personal stories of women involved in these efforts, the book shows that through willingness and support, there is hope that women will be continually involved in peace operations.

Rehn E, Sirleaf EJ. Women, War and Peace - Media Kit. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); 2002. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2002/1/women-war-...

"Women, War and Peace" covers topics such as peace operations, use of media, reconstruction, health, and prevention. By sharing the personal stories of women involved in these efforts, the book shows that through willingness and support, there is hope that women will be continually involved in peace operations. 

War-Related Sexual Violence in Sierra Leone. Boston: Physicians for Human Rights; 2002. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/reports/war-related-sexual-v...

Sierra Leone’s decade-long conflict of the 1990s and onward was marked by an extraordinary level of brutal human rights abuses, including summary killings, sexual violence against women and girls, abductions, amputations, and the use of child soldiers.

The combined effects of prolonged conflict, pervasive human rights abuses, and massive forced migration in one of the poorest countries in the world, devastated the health and well-being of the Sierra Leonean people. The daunting process of rebuilding and reconciliation in the aftermath of such destruction requires the establishment of an accurate account of the nature and extent of abuses that were committed.