Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Sierra Leone on the national emergency declared in that country.

The Government is aware that the President of Sierra Leone has declared a national emergency on the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. The high rates are alarming: 56 per cent of women in Sierra Leone report experiencing physical violence. This month, the Sierra Leone-based Rainbo Initiative reported 2800 sexual assaults committed against girls and women since the start of 2018.

The British Government regularly raises concerns about sexual and gender-based violence with the Government of Sierra Leone. The High Commissioner to Sierra Leone met the First Lady of Sierra Leone, a prominent campaigner, on 12 February 2019 to discuss the issue. We welcome President Bio's recent steps to establish a new police department that solely investigates sexual offenses involving children and a special court focusing on such cases.