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» Grantee Profile: Dignity Association
Despite Sierra Leone’s resource wealth, it is considered the poorest country in the world. Public sector corruption is rampant and unemployment is high. Government attempts to halt corruption, implement judicial reform, and regulate control of valuable natural resources have fallen woefully short. Although human rights organizations indicate that abuses have declined in severity and frequency since the civil war ended in 2002, serious problems remain. The government tightly controls the press and has imprisoned journalists who raise allegations of corruption. Violence against women is widespread and largely tolerated. Communities throughout the country are dealing with the legacy of years of armed conflict—the need to secure justice for past atrocities, to re-integrate ex-combatants and to build respect for the rule of law. Post-conflict, Sierra Leone’s UN-supported Special Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commission have sought to establish accountability for abuses committed during the country’s civil war. In 2005, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued a report urging action on corruption, justice reform, gender equality, community reparations and economic empowerment.
The Fund’s grantmaking in Sierra Leone supports organizations promoting access to justice in rural areas, challenging gender-based violence through grassroots organizing, litigation and legal reform, promoting women’s property and marital rights, and seeking to mobilize support within communities, civil society and government for the implementation of recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report.
