One such group who finally took an interest in the issue was the UN office in Sierra Leone... and I'll copy their statement below.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N
S U N I E S
Office of the Resident Coordinator in
Sierra Leone
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEMENT ON THE BAN ON PREGNANT GIRLS RETURNING TO SCHOOL AND TAKING
EXAMS
The United Nations in Sierra Leone notes the decision
taken by the Government of Sierra Leone to disqualify pregnant schoolgirls from
attending school and from sitting school examinations.
The United Nations wishes to remind the Government of
Sierra Leone that education is a fundamental human right that Sierra Leone has
committed itself to uphold.
Article 4.1 of Sierra Leone’s Education Act (2004)
includes the principle of non-discrimination in accessing education.
As a state Party to the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Sierra Leone has accepted its
international obligation under the Charter of the United Nations to promote
universal respect for, and observance of human rights and freedoms, which
includes Article 13 of the Covenant, the right to education. Furthermore,
under Article 2.2 of the Covenant, Sierra Leone undertakes to
guarantee the right to education without discrimination of any kind, including
on the basis of sex.
The United Nations would encourage the Sierra Leone
authorities to adopt a policy whereby pregnant schoolgirls can enjoy an
education that is available, accessible and acceptable:
· Available means that functioning educational
institutions and programmes have to be available in sufficient quantity within
Sierra Leone for the pregnant schoolgirls;
· Accessible means
that the schools must be accessible without discrimination; that they are
physically accessible (i.e. within safe physical reach); and that they are
affordable;
· Acceptable means
that the form and substance of education, including curricula and teaching
methods, have to be acceptable.
The United Nations in Sierra Leone stands ready to
assist the Government in fulfilling the right to education for all its
children, irrespective of their temporary status as a pregnant teenager.
Freetown
14 April 2015
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