Gender Concerns have often stressed the need for a more inclusive democratic process in Sierra Leone and will contribute towards achieving this goal. Gender Concerns notes that substantial reforms are necessary in Sierra Leone to make the electoral process more inclusive. Gender Concerns will focus on strengthening women’s political capacities both within and outside of the democratic institutions. Gender Concerns International is looking to provide training, workshops, female leadership programmes and other instruments for the Sierra Leonean women to further their quest for a strong and inclusive democracy.
With Gender Concern’s extensive experience in election observation missions from a gendered perspective, there is a potential for conducting a Gender Election Observing Mission for future elections in Sierra Leone. Actions deployed during a GEOM in Sierra Leone would place the focus on voter awareness, registration and education. Supporting female candidacy within political parties and training for media reporting on women candidates is also noted as a priority. Selection, training and evaluation of national observers by international gender election experts would be done to ensure strict adherence to international observation standards. On Election Day, further observation of the electoral processes by GEOM teams would be carried out. Further activities would include training of newly-elected parliamentarians for effective participation in their roles as policy-makers and political leaders, building the capacities for women’s organisations to continue engagement in an inclusive democracy and publishing of observation reports to raise support for women and policies of gender inclusion.