It is about 11:00 pm and I was fast asleep on the settee in the parlour of a two-bedroom apartment where I live with my elder sister and her husband together with another adult couple in the east end of Freetown, when I heard this scream. At first I thought I was dreaming as usual.

I heard the scream again, this time with different tones, followed by cries of pain and loud smacks of slaps. The sound of the cries sounded like that of a woman in pain. In my sleep, I listened to the anguish of the woman and realized that the voice sounded familiar.

I jumped out of my slumber and from the settee and woke up instantly only to discover it was my sister and her husband fighting again. Infact it was not a fight. My brother-in-law was beating my sister again. She screamed, this time shouting "Una cam oh, neigbah una wake o, Mohamed dae kill me oh. Waaaiiiii woooooiiiiii..."

As her cries grew louder, I walked to their room and banged on the locked door several times to which I got no reply. By the time I returned to my sleeping place in the parlour I heard my brother-in-law’s distinct voice "Ar go kill yu tiday" to which my sister quickly replied "Nar lie yu lie, pass dem berr we two tumara".

On hearing this, the other couple opened their room door and walked to my brother-in-law’s room to appeal to him. Their door finally opened and my sister bolted out in a nightdress that looked like she’s been attacked by wild dogs. My brother-in-law was in pursuit and by the time my sister reached the living room, she grabbed a flower verse from the center table and smashed it against the wall.

My brother-in-law charged for my sister but the other couple came in between them and save the situation.

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In another part of East End Freetown about seven young teenage boys lured a teenage girl into a house with the intension of having group sex with her. They call it "Communist". The six boys were sitting in the veranda of this adjourning house when the boy whose girlfriend it was walked into the parlour with the girl.

After a while a scuffle ensued. Apparently the girl had refused to have sex with her boyfriend who will not take no for an answer.

The boyfriend came out to the veranda and informed his friends that the girl "de make style". To this information, one of the other six boys retorted "nar lie e lie, e go gree by foce". He stormed into the parlour with the girl’s boyfriend and tried to overpower the girl. He ripped the girl’s dress and grabbed her underwear.

For fear of disturbing the peace of other tenants and the uncertain about the comments that will be made when it would be found out that she came there voluntarily, the girl at first refused to scream. She fought for her pride and chastity quietly. But when she realized that she might lose the battle among seven young and desperate teenage boys, she cried for help. By this time, one of the boys was trying to penetrate her while another two braced her legs apart.

Her screams drew the attention of other tenants who came bagging on the back door of the quarters. All seven boys bolted through the front door leaving the exhausted and crying girl in the parlour.

Finally when neighbours entered the house and realized it was a girl of about 14 years who was almost raped at about 10:00 pm, their comments were all against the girl. "Wetin yu cam fen nar yar dis awa," they asked. Another woman said "if den bin rape yu nar yu fen am for yusef. Yu lef for go study yu cam fen man. Look wae yu small." She was then asked to leave before they informed her parents about what has happened. The girl went away quietly and that was the end of the matter.

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The day was Pray Day (Eid-ul-Fitri) and Memuna had plans to attend an Afternoon Jump at Town Hall, where SLPP now has its headquarters. The performing band was Afro National. The dance started at 2:00 pm and by 4:00 pm the entire down town area was bubbling with holiday celebrants.

The band was blasting one of its original Sierra Leonean hits titled "Memuna" when rather coincidentally Memuna strolled in with her friends. Without much ado, Memuna went dancing with her friends to what she considered "her song".

By the time Memuna finished dancing to the song a young man has taken notice of her. He approached Memuna and her friends and started to chat with her. One thing led to another and before her friends could realize it, Memuna was in high gear with Big Boy, one of East End’s celebrated dandy playboys.

Big Boy bought drinks for Memuna and her friends and as if that was not enough, chicken followed. Memuna was now all over Big Boy as if they had known each other for ever and they were dancing to the amusement of many.

Then came 8:00 O’clock and the dance was over. Memuna and Big Boy had agreed to go home together. As the two approached Victoria Park, a male voice shouted "Yu Memuna nar de life dis en? Ar buy closs for yu, buy soos for yu en pay for leh den stretch yu hair for leh yu go dance wit odar man eh? Well yu wait, nar tiday yu go sabi me." Memuna recognized the voice. It is her boyfriend Pakie Tolo, a tailor. She was frightened. She wanted to run but Big Boy held on firm to her hand.

Pakie Tolo reached for Memuna and grabbed her by the hand. The two men started pulling Memuna to different directions. When Pakie Tolo pulls her to the left, Big Boy will jerk her to the right. This continued for a while until Pakie Tolo got angry and lost patience. He then swung a left hand jab across Memuna’s face. Memuna saw lightening and before Big Boy could realize what was happening Pakie Tolo "sweep" Memuna and she fell to the ground with a thump. He yanked her blouse from the cleavage and tore it. Memuna yelled: "Yu see wae yu tcher me closs?" Pakie Tolo replied "Nar me buy am" and he grabbed her right foot and yanked the shoe off it, "nar me buy dis back", he said to the listening crowd that has gathered.

"Nar for beat am, den tity yar nar so den dae" one male onlooker stated. On this encouragement, Pakie Tolo kicked Memuna who was still lying on the ground in shame and reined abuses oh her. One of Memuna friends materialized and tried pleading with Pakie Tolo but he was so enraged that he threatened to beat her too if she does not mind her business. "Nar una all dae pan de same foolishness," he fumed. With one shoe in his hand Pakie Tolo left Memuna on the ground and walked away feeling satisfied.

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In the far West of Freetown, Melrose was living at home with her father, mother and siblings. Her father had been sexually abusing her since she was fifteen years old. Her mother knew nothing of this until Melrose got pregnant at 17. Out of shame, Melrose’s mom left for London without telling anyone about this incestuous happening. Father and pregnant daughter lived in the house until Melrose had a baby boy.

The entire episode was hushed. Neither relatives nor neighbours suspected what was going on. In order not to let his other children catch up with his actions, the father sent Melrose’s elder brother and sister to London to live with their mother.

It all started one Saturday night when Melrose was watching TV in the family living room where she fell asleep on the floor in her nightie. At about 2:00 am her father walked in and found her sleeping in what can be described as a "revealing position". He passed her by and went to his room where his wife was dead asleep. He then went to his other children’s room and found them vacant. They had gone out to a party.

The father wasted no time to change into his morning gown and after locking his wife in the bedroom returned to the living room and started imagining all sorts of wild things while watching his daughter’s partly naked body. He descended to the floor and started fiddling with Melrose’s plump breast. He finally navigated his fingers between Melrose’s legs; to which intrusion the little girl woke up. Melrose was startled to see her father on the floor with her. She tried pulling herself up but her father pulled her down, putting his index finger to his mouth motioning her to keep quiet.

She was so frightened that she just lay there while her father started to suck her breast. That night nothing happened and in the morning while everyone was getting ready for church, father pretended to be sleeping. When he was woken up, he said he was not feeling well and if one of the children would stay behind to tend to him, he would be grateful.

Innocently, mom volunteered Melrose to stay. Not knowing what to do or say, Melrose reluctantly agreed. And that begins her ordeal. No sooner the rest of the family left for church, father called Melrose into his room and explained the previous night’s incident and how she must not let anyone into their little secret.

He enumerated the benefits Melrose can derive from their secret affair and how no one would be any wiser. That morning he went half the way. He got Melrose to strip and he fondled her fanny. Two weeks later he committed the sacrilegious sin - he deflowered his own daughter. Since then it was operation "free flow".

Even though Melrose protested and fought back sometimes, her protestations were nothing for her father’s determined incestuous incling. She began to receive special gifts from her father until she missed her period a little after her 17th birthday. It was then that she realized she was in double trouble. She was pregnant and for her own father.

When her mother got to know about it she was besides herself but to keep the family name and secret she decided to leave for London where she mourned and suffered her pain, disappointment and disgrace.

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Though the above episodes may sound like extracts from a collection of short stories in a fiction novel, they are real true life occurrences in Freetown and other parts of the country long before the outbreak of the rebel war in 1990. They are all evidences of what has now been termed "Sexual and Gender Based Violence".

In all four cases, the victims are women or young girls, who suffered their pains quietly because society has socialized them to believe that such is normal (in the case of wife or girlfriend beating) or in the case of rape, to keep it secret in order to maintain respect in the community, cover someone’s behind and to avoid stigmatization.

Presently, a lot of work is being done to enquire into the subject, assess and document instances of this malpractice and to sensitize communities about the consequences of inaction. Also efforts are underway to get lawmakers to enact legislation that will bring perpetrators to book.

However, access to support services and enforcement of laws (where they exist) are still patchy says Karen Zamboni, Women’s Rights Programme Manager of COOPI an Italian NGO working in Kono district and in the Western Area.

According to her (and she was referencing a Needs Assessment recently conducted by her organization) 65% of Sierra Leonean women are affected by Sexual and Gender–Based Violence at one time of their life. This is an unbelievably high percentage when compared to other African countries which have about half of Sierra Leone’s statistics.

Also, she highlighted series of challenges that stakeholders face in dealing with cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. These challenges and the activities of stakeholders who are making efforts to address this human right violation will be part of my next article on the subject; but before that time let me provide some basic information that will deepen our understanding of the subject.

Violence against women has been called "the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse in the world". Around the world, as many as one in every three women had been beaten, forced into sex, or abused in one way or another and in most cases by someone she knows, including but not limited to her husband, boyfriend, father, brother or other not-so-close male member of her community.

According to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Paragraph 112: "Violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms… In all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of income, class and culture".

So for those who believe that only uneducated or illiterate women are beaten up or sexually violated by men, that’s not true. High profiled women, in politics, in business, in the private and public service can be a victim of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and so are up country women, city girls, college babes, Sanni Abacha Street ladies and so on.

Therefore, as the name goes, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is an abuse to women mostly perpetuated by men. It is a gender thing and to address it effectively, with a view to reducing its incidence or wishfully, to eliminating it completely, women (regardless of whatever hyphen) educated-women, illiterate-women, college-women, Sanni Abacha Street-women, up country-women, etc, must come together and solicit support from men.

Again, to quote Karen Zamboni of COOPI: "No one can solve this problem on their own. This is one area where every stakeholder has a role to play. Gender-Based Violence entails health, psychosocial, economic, etc."