Sierra Leone’s President Bio Calls For Global Action To Support Survivors Of Sexual Violence In Conflict

New York, USA, Thursday, 25 September 2025 - His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has delivered a powerful address at the High-Level Event on Pregnancy, Children Born, and Sexual Violence in Conflict, calling for urgent international action to protect survivors and their children.

President Bio commended the First Lady of Sierra Leone and the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, for convening the dialogue, which he said confronts "a painful reality, the plight of women and girls who become pregnant as a result of sexual violence in conflict, and the stigma endured by children born of such violence."

He highlighted Sierra Leone's own experience, recalling that during the country's decade-long civil war, an estimated 20,000 children were born of rape, with girls as young as 12 forced into sexual slavery. "These memories compel us to act," he declared.

Outlining Sierra Leone's national response, President Bio cited measures including the declaration of sexual and gender-based violence as a national emergency, the establishment of a dedicated Sexual Offences Court, expansion of One-Stop Centres, and protection against early marriage, alongside the country's flagship free quality education programme.

On the international stage, Sierra Leone has championed the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, underscoring sexual violence in conflict as both a grave rights violation and a threat to peace and security. In 2022, the country partnered with Japan to advance the first UN resolution on remedies for victims of sexual violence, affirming their rights to justice, reparations, and rehabilitation.

Calling for the global community to move from recognition to action, President Bio endorsed the Secretary-General's recommendations to ensure survivor-centred services, guarantee nationality and rights for children born of rape, integrate survivors into peacebuilding, and provide adequate funding for reparations and reintegration.

Above all, he urged that survivors' voices be heard and central to shaping solutions. "Our shared humanity requires us to act now. Let this event serve as a turning point where our words are matched with concrete commitments. We must build a world where no woman's body is used as a battlefield, and where every child enjoys dignity, rights, and hope" he concluded.

Inspiring statements were also presented by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Maada Bio; the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi; and Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, Madam Isha Sesay, who served as the moderator for the High-Level event, delivered a summary of the GLOBAL DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES ON THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN BORN OF CONFLICT-RELATED RAPE.

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