FINE HUSBAND SCHOOLS .
I am a trained, ordained clergy and human rights activist. In 2010, I started the organization FINE which works with men and boys as target groups "Promoting sexual reproductive health rights and Ending sexual and gender based violence (SGBV)" in post war Sierra Leone (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/to-empower-women-dont-for_b_3315032). In 2013, my organization won the Global Resolve Award on reproductive health (https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/press-release-sierra-leones-husband-school-wins/). This year 2020, I addressed the British House of Parliament on the “Husband School” Initiative on 13th March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ19X4t9l0. On March 8th in celebrating the International Women’s Day, the President of Sierra Leone declared and launched Male Involvement as a national strategy to end SGBV. Currently, I have 45 husband schools in 45 communities in two districts since 2018 and these communities have recorded zero rape, prosecuted over 23 domestic violence cases, recorded zero maternal death and zero child marriage with over 60% reduction in teenage pregnancy.
1. Sexual and Gender based violence(sgbv) on women and girls causes physical pains mental, emotional trauma and in many instances, have resulted in death or disability for life. Men are key perpetrators and also wield power to make decisions on women’s welfare from access to health, education, housing, sex and the number of children to have. Reinforced by customary practices, toxic masculine and patriarchal beliefs, SGBV is prevalent in Sierra Leone in spite of existing domestic policies and enacted legislations.
2. I propose establishing Husband School for men, provide them insights to understand through interactive non-formal sessions, the advantages of gender equality, the impact of violence and discrimination against women, and the damage to self-image and community.
3. Men (fathers/husbands) graduating become lead-fathers, mentors and champions in their communities. These will be organized into neighborhood watch network for sustainable change for improved gender relations at household and community levels.
Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is a huge social problem in almost every community in Sierra Leone. Rape, sexual penetration and domestic violence is increasingly challenging. Sierra Leone recorded 8,917 domestic violence cases with 98.3% men as perpetrators, 3,252 cases of sexual penetration with 100% men as perpetrators and 145 rape cases with 100% men as perpetrators in 2019. At the global level, SGBV affects 1in 3 women in their lifetime. 35% of women experience physical and/or sexual intimate spousal violence; 7% of women are assaulted by someone other than their partner; 38% of women murdered are by an intimate partner. SGBV is not only devastating for survivors and families but entails social and economic costs. SGBV against women is estimated to cost countries up to 3.7% of their GDP, more than double what is spent on education. Much resource is put on legal structures and enforcement of the law. My project focus is targeting perpetrator population (men) using HUSBAND SCHOOL Initiative for sustainable, improved transformative behavior of men and boys at community and household level.
Husband School is an informal school designed to address social and behavior change through policy dialogue, barrier analysis, creative scenarios, role-plays and social re-engineering discuss with men and boys for improved gender relationship toward achieving the SDG5.
We conduct baseline research on knowledge, attitude and practice of men in every community of intervention, conduct consultative policy dialogue meetings with traditional, religious leaders plus other key stakeholders and sign MOUs to guarantee their support and commitment. Community men are enlisted, create the environment for them to understand gender equality, women and girls’ empowerment its advantage to men and family, we discuss the disadvantages of SGBV, its effect and highlight existing policies and laws against gender discriminatory practices including SGBV, etc.
These men graduate as lead-fathers in an open community ceremony to serve as advocates, monitors and mentors and change agents for transformative behavior in their communities. In communities with husband schools, men now understand and use masculinity in positive ways to protect their women/daughters from abuse, and hold each other accountable through the "neighborhood watch against SGBV". These are lead advocates for women's empowerment and equality and much more.
We serve communities and household to build resilience against SGBV by speaking out, influence behavior change toward women and girls. The ripple effects of SGBV are multi-dimensional beyond the victim and the perpetrator affecting the wider community. There is deep rooted traditional customary support for the practices of wife beating, child marriage, FGM and the silence on rape and incest. Women are blamed and stigmatized for reporting prosecuting their spouses. As a result, women suffer in silence on abuses and violations they face on daily basis. Most men see women and girls' empowerment including their right to access health services including family planning as a decision they as men should make.
Work via husband school(HS) is designed to break the male dominance, toxic masculinity and transform men's behavior through specific programs to get men to become mentors and lead the campaign against SGBV at household and community level. HS integrates strategies of policy dialogue, PaMama forum and Youth-LAB, family challenges are discuss within specific context. HS network with para-legal trainers to guide discussion, protect and embolden women to speak out on SGBV.
- Elevating opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind
The husband school(HS) works to achieving an SGBV free community. We contribute to "Elevating opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind" irrespective of gender. Women are traditionally limited and have been left behind on every level of human development. Much has been done on litigation in improving legal/policy environment and empowerment yet the rate of abuses and violation against women increases exponentially. HS working with Men and Boys is a critical sustainable intervention and is cost effective. This intervention also contributes to "Elevating understanding of and between people through changing people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
My passion and work as a social-change activist started during Country’s civil war in 1992-2001. I championed a program "Campaign Against Violent Events-CAVE" with focus on raising awareness on the ills of war and mobilizing communities to monitor their neighborhood and resist recruitment by rebel factions. The war ended in 2001.
Notably during the post-war period, violence including rape, beating, incest, child-marriage against women and girls increased and mostly, these incidences were compromised because of the deep seated masculinity dominance, patriarchal society and, many CSOs working on gender equality and women's empowerment then, lacked capacity. Something different must be done to change the narrative, I thought.
In 2010, I lead a research on Civil Society groups nationwide to assess what kinds interventions were on-going in country, their target groups, operational scope, alongside desk review of organizational reports. It was clear that SGBV, cliques and gang violence were on the increase; with perpetrators predominantly men and there was no organization that was specifically targeting men with program to change the narrative. The report of that research formed the basis for the development of Husband School initiative targeting Men to lead the transformation for gender equality from the household and community level.
I am motivated by the transformation witnessed in lives of individual, families and communities. For instance, FGM is a secret society, culturally sensitive issue. Community engagement have failed to stop the practice. Through the husband schools, men have discussed and understood the negative effects of FGM on the reproductive health of women and girls, with documentary evidence and statistics shown, these fathers/husbands are now protecting their wives/daughters from FGM initiation, indicative of the use of positive masculinity. Each husband school trains 25 men quarterly, totaling 100 husbands/fathers per community yearly. With 45 schools, we are reaching 4,500 husbands/fathers who make decisions that affect their families and community. Impact reality is, the chances for any form of SGBV including FGM occurring in 4500 homes is greatly reduced. Also put at the community disposal is 4500 male advocates and peer educators to monitor, advocate and champion the cause for protecting of women and girls. When women and girls’ rights are promoted and advocated for by their own fathers, husbands, brothers the impact is sustainable. This change motivates me. Wives/Husbands have expressed gratitude that their homes and community are much peaceful and safe from SGBV incidences as a result of the husband schools.
As a trained and ordained clergy with human rights background and proven advocacy skills, I enjoy the latitude and space to engage political authorities including traditional and religious leaders to discuss the issues of SGBV and to challenge them on their role in ensuring that every form of it is openly condemned and that perpetrators are prosecuted. I have benefited from their support and commitment to mobilizing community men into the husband schools to minimize the social liability and damage to community relationship caused when men are incarcerated on accounts of SGBV. I work with the heads of the inter-religious council, District Councils authorities and Councilors including the family support unit of the Sierra Leone Police Force. Faith leaders are engaged to include the messages of gender equality, prevention of child marriage, wife battering, sexual harassment, child FGM in their sermons in Mosques and Churches. I have also received several trainings and exposure through international workshops and conferences that put me in a position to understand the challenges my country is faced with in achieving the SDG-5. I believe that with experience working with men through the Husband school initiative by reaching men and boys that are already and would-be perpetrators with knowledge, informed understanding and equipping them to break the toxic masculine leverage over women is critical because “When Men talk to Men, Men Listen!”. After 10 years of working with men, the government on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2020 declared male involvement as national strategy SGBV.
Achieving SGBV free community is a huge multi-dimensional task having to deal with political will, alongside with cultural, traditional and religious perceptions and beliefs that informs the complex social-web and challenges of SGBV. As an indigenous local organization, providing leadership to change these perceptions of the traditional mindsets requires strong leadership ability, understanding and fortitude. Transforming toxic masculinity into a positive outfit to confront gender discriminatory practice and enforce legal statutes at community/household level has backlashes especially where the perpetrators in many cases are either in position of authority or have strong political connections and influence. Over the past 10 years, limited funding opportunity especially when traditional donors focus more on empowering women and girls directly and, in most cases see funding the work with men as funding the perpetrators.
With more than 4500 men attending husband schools is a huge success. We support victims through referral pathways, report cases of SGBV in learning institutions/communities, HS have emboldened adolescent girls and women facing SGBV to speak out. Specifically, women in lower bamabara community in Kenema district for the first time are given access to farming land on their own where they are supported with farm implements toward economic empowerment.
I have trained and influenced many young men including community leaders many of whom are leading the husband school in their respective communities. I have encountered stiff resistance from leaders of FGM secret society groups, from families and leaders who wanted to prevent prosecution of their relations involved in SGBV and abuses cases. These defining moment have not only built my belief that somebody must dare to stand for the truth irrespective of opposition and threat of consequences. Communities such as Panguma and Tunkia that were resistant to accepting women's equality to men are today leading the advocacy into other chiefdom communities. for the first time, the chiefdom people allocated farm land to women to carry out their own work independent of their husband and the men supporting these women economic empowerment. In Bombali District, Binkolo town witnessed men accompanying their pregnant women to ante-natal care services which never happened before our intervention. I have witnessed acceptability and increase contraceptive intake in die-hard religious communities that initially rejected contraceptives as haram and women using such tagged promiscuous. Paramount Chiefs formerly notable for marrying young girls below 18 years are now denouncing the practice holding their community accountable.
- Nonprofit