Forging Ahead without an Affirmative Action Policy: Female Politicians in Sierra Leone's Post‐War Electoral Process
In contemporary post‐conflict Sierra Leone, women have managed to secure 13.5 per cent of seats in parliament – without affirmative action in place, thanks to women's groups' and coalitions' mobilisation and activism. While the political resistance to Sierra Leone having a quota was high, the women's movement has succeeded in forcing the political parties and the government to recognise that it is no longer politically viable to sidestep women's rights, should they wish to capitalise on women's voting power. As women's organisations, in particular the 50/50 group, continue the struggle to introduce a quota, the challenge for Sierra Leonean women is how to ensure that the quota project is not hijacked by the male‐dominated political establishment. To this aim, this article examines the ongoing efforts to politically consciencise women parliamentarians, society and political parties.
Women Engaging Politically: Beyond Magic Bullets and Motorways
UKaid from the Department for International Development with co-funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Book Review: The U.N. Convention on Torture and the prospects for enforcement
Preface. Abbreviations. 1.The Scope of the Torture Convention. 2. The Nature of the Obligations Incurred by States Under Article 2 of the Torture Convention. 3. The Problems of Enforcement of Human Rights. 4. A Commentary on the Enforcement Mechanisms by the States Parties of the Torture Convention. 5. Commentary on the International Machinery for the Supervision of the Implementation of the Torture Convention. 6. General Conclusions. Bibliography. Appendix I.