By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Every year the world pauses to mark International Women’s Day, a day meant to celebrate the courage, resilience, and progress of women. It is a moment that should amplify the voices of women who struggle daily for dignity, equality, and opportunity. It is also supposed to be a time of reflection, asking whether the promises made to women are being fulfilled.
But for many women in Sierra Leone, this year’s International Women’s Day felt less like a celebration and more like a quiet day of mourning. It felt like a moment to confront the painful reality that the loud promises made in the name of protecting women and girls have not translated into real change.
At the center of that disappointment sits the highly publicized “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign led by the First Lady Fatima Maada Bio.
The slogan itself was powerful. It spoke directly to the fears and frustrations that many Sierra Leonean families have lived with for years. Girls across the country face threats ranging from sexual abuse to exploitation and abandonment. A national campaign that promised to confront these issues naturally captured the attention of the public.
When the campaign was first introduced, many citizens believed that the country had finally taken a decisive step toward protecting its daughters. Communities hoped that new programs would emerge to support victims of abuse. Parents hoped that their girls would find stronger protection under the law. Activists hoped that meaningful investments would be made to address the root causes of violence and inequality.
But several years after its launch, the results remain deeply disappointing.
Instead of becoming a nationwide program that strengthens protection for girls, “Hands Off Our Girls” has largely remained a slogan surrounded by publicity. There have been conferences, speeches, billboards, and endless social media promotions highlighting the activities of the First Lady.
Yet for the women and girls living in vulnerable communities, daily life remains largely unchanged.
Teenage pregnancy continues to disrupt the futures of thousands of young girls. Survivors of sexual abuse still struggle to obtain justice through a slow and overburdened legal system. Schools in many rural communities still lack the resources necessary to keep girls safe and engaged in education.
If the campaign had succeeded in its mission, these realities would have begun to change. Communities would speak of new support centers, educational programs, and legal protections that directly improve the lives of girls.
Instead, what many Sierra Leoneans see is a campaign that has produced more publicity than progress.
This situation becomes even more troubling when one considers the amount of financial support that has reportedly flowed into the initiative. International partners, donor agencies, and development organizations are said to have contributed funds in the belief that they were supporting a genuine effort to protect Sierra Leonean girls.
Money is also said to have arrived from various directions in the name of defending the rights of young women. Each dollar was given with the expectation that it would be used to create programs that strengthen protection, expand education, and support victims of abuse.
Yet transparency regarding how these funds have been used remains limited.
Citizens continue to ask simple but important questions. What concrete projects have been created? How many shelters have been built for victims of abuse? What nationwide programs have been implemented to protect girls in vulnerable communities?
The absence of clear answers has fueled a growing sense of skepticism.
Many Sierra Leoneans now view the “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign less as a national program and more as a personal initiative controlled by the First Lady herself. It has increasingly come to be seen as a project that serves personal visibility and influence rather than the genuine empowerment of women.
In the streets and markets of Sierra Leone, people often express this frustration in simple but powerful local language. One phrase frequently heard is “If e at yu go police.” In plain terms, it reflects the belief that someone has taken what was meant for the public and turned it into something personal.
For many citizens, that phrase has sadly become associated with the “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign.
The disappointment is not merely political criticism. It is rooted in the painful reality that the women of Sierra Leone continue to struggle while a campaign launched in their name appears to benefit those who control it.
This is why International Women’s Day felt different for many Sierra Leonean women this year. Instead of celebrating progress, many reflected on the distance between the promises they heard and the reality they live every day.
For the woman struggling to feed her children through small market trading.
For the girl forced to abandon school because of poverty.
For the victim of abuse who cannot afford legal representation.
For the countless mothers raising daughters in communities where protection systems remain weak.
These women did not feel like celebrating.
They felt like mourning the opportunities that have been lost in the name of political slogans.
International Women’s Day should have been a moment to highlight real achievements and renewed commitments to improving the lives of women. Instead, it exposed the frustrations many citizens feel about how noble causes are often transformed into political instruments.
The tragedy of the “Hands Off Our Girls” initiative is that the message behind it was both necessary and urgent. Sierra Leone truly needs strong national efforts to protect its girls. The challenges facing young women are real and demand serious solutions.
But a slogan alone cannot change reality.
Real change requires transparency in how resources are used. It requires long term investment in education, justice systems, and community awareness. It requires collaboration with grassroots organizations that understand the daily struggles of women and girls.
Most importantly, it requires leadership that places the wellbeing of citizens above personal recognition.
Until those principles guide the initiative, the phrase “Hands Off Our Girls” will continue to feel hollow for many Sierra Leoneans.
The women and girls of Sierra Leone deserve far more than slogans and ceremonies. They deserve genuine programs that reach their communities and address the challenges they face every day.
They deserve accountability from those who claim to speak in their name.
And they deserve a future where International Women’s Day becomes a true celebration of progress rather than a reminder of disappointment.