Four women who were in jail in Sierra Leone have been set free. This happened after a program called “Football for Reform” got involved. Sento, a mom with two kids, is celebrating her freedom. She just finished a one-year prison sentence, and it happened right before International Women’s Day.She’s finally out after being in jail for months.She’s one of four women who recently got out of jail in Sierra Leone.
The Football for Reform Initiative helped them, which is a program that uses sports to help women get back on their feet. Sento said she was arrested because she was accused of loitering near a temporary structure that the authorities thought was a hangout for criminals and drug users.I got arrested for just standing around. They mentioned they didn’t want people near that temporary spot because it’s where criminals and drug users often hang out. I was taken to the cell because there was no one around to help me out.
She said her husband also tried to get her out, but he couldn’t find anyone to help him. Isha Johansen started the Football for Reform Initiative, and for some years now, they’ve been helping women in the Freetown Women’s Correctional Center. Johansen mentioned that they’ve been working with the center for five years now, and in that time, they’ve helped get around a hundred women released from prison.While they’re in jail, we also teach them job skills so they can find work after they get out.”
Johansen mentioned that a lot of women in prison are often there for small mistakes or just because they happened to be in the wrong situation. The four women are free now, but people who support them say getting back into normal life won’t be easy. People who support this idea really want us to think about being kind, helping people get back on track, and giving ex-inmates chances to start fresh. Right now, over 200 women are locked up in women’s prisons all around Sierra Leone. They’re there for different reasons, either serving time or paying off fines, the Sierra Leone Correctional Service said.
Susan Baby Koker, who is the Deputy Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, talked about how hard it is to help prisoners get back on their feet because there aren’t enough resources. We’re here to help them get back on track, but we often don’t have the things we need, like beads, sewing machines, or tools for plumbing and carpentry. She mentioned that if these individuals learn something useful, like carpentry, they could go back to their communities and open up their own shops. The Football for Reform Initiative is pushing for better legal help and more support for women who are in jail in Sierra Leone.
