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Just look at this place. It's idyllic, isn't it? | 0:00:09 | 0:00:13 | |
But don't be fooled by the scenery. | 0:00:13 | 0:00:15 | |
In my working life, | 0:00:15 | 0:00:16 | |
I have travelled to many countries in the world | 0:00:16 | 0:00:18 | |
but it has been quite a few years since I was in one that had | 0:00:18 | 0:00:22 | |
such a brutal and tragic recent past | 0:00:22 | 0:00:26 | |
as this small West African country. Sierra Leone. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:31 | |
It's clear that everyone here is living with the legacy of | 0:00:31 | 0:00:35 | |
the devastating civil war that raged in this country | 0:00:35 | 0:00:38 | |
for more than a decade. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:39 | |
But I've come here to learn about the particular hardships | 0:00:39 | 0:00:42 | |
and injustice faced by the women of Sierra Leone. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:46 | |
Many women here still face violence and discrimination on a daily basis. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:51 | |
But I'm going to show you what some of the women in this country | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
are doing to stand up for themselves and really turn their lives around. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:58 | |
And I'm going to ask for your help in creating a safer | 0:00:58 | 0:01:02 | |
and much fairer future for women all over the world. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:06 | |
During the conflict 12 years ago, | 0:01:06 | 0:01:08 | |
one particular weapon or was aimed at women - sexual violence. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:12 | |
And on an appalling scale. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
It is estimated that a quarter of a million women were raped. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:18 | |
One of those women is Isatu. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
During the war, rebels attacked her village and killed her husband | 0:01:22 | 0:01:25 | |
and two children right in front of her eyes. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
And that was by no means the end of her ordeal. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:32 | |
Isatu was held captive by her family's killers for three years | 0:01:53 | 0:01:57 | |
before she escaped. By then she was pregnant | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
and when the child was born she had no-one to turn to. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
But there is a charity which helps women like Isatu who find | 0:02:12 | 0:02:16 | |
themselves powerless and alone. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
Womankind Worldwide is a UK-based charity that funds local | 0:02:19 | 0:02:24 | |
organisations that help women who have experienced violence | 0:02:24 | 0:02:27 | |
and discrimination in developing countries across the world. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:31 | |
When Isatu was at her lowest point, she met a rape counsellor | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
who runs a project funded by Womankind, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:40 | |
and her life began to turn around. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:42 | |
Good to see you. Good to see you. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
What did she say to you that made you feel different? | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
Do you feel good about yourself now? | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
Sierra Leone is now moving on from the legacy of the war | 0:03:27 | 0:03:31 | |
but violence against women is still all too common. | 0:03:31 | 0:03:35 | |
And it stems from a lack of basic equality for women. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:39 | |
The most effective way to get rid of inequality is to empower women | 0:03:42 | 0:03:47 | |
but, here in Sierra Leone, the odds really are stacked against women. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:52 | |
It just stops them from enjoying the kind of basic | 0:03:52 | 0:03:55 | |
and fundamental rights that you and I would take for granted. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:59 | |
For instance, it is really difficult to get any kind of justice | 0:03:59 | 0:04:02 | |
if you go to a local police station or the local courts. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:06 | |
In part because too many men in this country | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
still think of women as possessions. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
But I'm about to meet a woman who really did stand up | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
for her rights against all the odds and she did it with | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
the help of a local project which is supported by Womankind. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:23 | |
'Fanta was only a child when her parents died in poverty. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:29 | |
'She was left in the care of her aunt | 0:04:29 | 0:04:31 | |
'but she wasn't safe there for long.' | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
So what happened when you went to live with her? | 0:04:45 | 0:04:48 | |
A friend brought Fanta to this project where they made her | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
aware of her legal rights and convinced the police to intervene. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:14 | |
She was able to leave her husband | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
but bringing up her daughters as a single mother in a society like this | 0:05:16 | 0:05:20 | |
was always going to be very difficult. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
Again, Womankind was able to help her gain some | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
independence by supporting her to train as a tailor. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
Helping individual women like Fanta out of crisis is vital | 0:05:50 | 0:05:54 | |
but Womankind know that the key to bringing about long-lasting change | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
is securing equal access to the justice system. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
In rural areas, justice is administered through | 0:06:02 | 0:06:05 | |
traditional systems where the local chief holds sway. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:09 | |
But it tends to mean that women's rights get sidelined a bit. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:14 | |
So, in another project that is being supported by Womankind, | 0:06:14 | 0:06:18 | |
they are working WITH the local chiefs, | 0:06:18 | 0:06:20 | |
they're changing attitudes and ensuring that women get | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
a really fair hearing when it comes to settling a dispute. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
This is a community forum that is being held by the local chief. | 0:06:29 | 0:06:33 | |
With the help of Womankind, he now promotes women's rights | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
and allows them to air their grievances. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:39 | |
One of the women who has learned about her rights | 0:06:42 | 0:06:45 | |
is grandmother Musu. | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
Her elderly husband died leaving Musu vulnerable to other men | 0:06:48 | 0:06:52 | |
who laid claim to the land that Musu farmed. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
She lost her only means of supporting her children | 0:06:55 | 0:06:58 | |
and keeping them in school. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:00 | |
The charity made her aware of her rights | 0:07:08 | 0:07:11 | |
and helped her to fight the case and win back her land. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
So her large family are now harvesting the crops | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
that they rely on. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:18 | |
What difference has it made your family having this land | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
and being able to work it? | 0:07:20 | 0:07:22 | |
I'm full of admiration for the women I have met here who, like Musu, | 0:07:33 | 0:07:37 | |
have managed to change their desperate situations for the better, | 0:07:37 | 0:07:41 | |
against great odds. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:43 | |
Women who are denied justice and basic rights, | 0:07:43 | 0:07:47 | |
that's a global problem. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
By donating now, you can ensure that women will be able to | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
live in safety without discrimination | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
through the many projects that Womankind funds with its partners. | 0:07:56 | 0:08:01 | |
Not just here in Sierra Leone but all over the world. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:05 | |
Please go to the website. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:07 | |
That's where you can donate. | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
If you don't have access to the Internet, then call. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
Telephone calls are free from most landlines but some networks | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
and mobile operators will charge for these calls. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
You can also donate £10 by texting. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:25 | |
Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
and the whole £10 goes to Womankind Worldwide. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
Full terms and conditions can be found on the website. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:39 | |
Or, if you would like to post a donation, | 0:08:41 | 0:08:43 | |
please make your cheque payable to Womankind Worldwide | 0:08:43 | 0:08:47 | |
and send it to Freepost BBC Lifeline Appeal, | 0:08:47 | 0:08:49 | |
writing Womankind Worldwide on the back of the envelope. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:53 | |
And if you want the charity to claim gift aid on your donation, | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
please include an e-mail or postal address | 0:08:56 | 0:08:59 | |
so they can send you a gift aid form. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:02 | |
Thank you. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:03 |