Kelly

Mohamed Challey

Sierra Leone is a country in Western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and Liberia. The country covers a total area of 71,740 sq km and with an estimated population of 6 million. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in Africa since the civil war which took place about 10 years ago between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Because of this civil war there were tens of thousands of deaths and about one third of the population was forced to flee to neighboring countries. The UN peacekeeping forces helped to stabilize the country by getting rid of the RUF. They were able to rebuild the constitutional republic and they were able to hold elections. Currently the president is Ernest Bai Koroma. Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. The country is among the top ten diamond producing nations. Despite its successes and development, the Sierra Leone economy still faces significant challenges. There is high enemployment rate in Sierra Leone and many workers rely on subsistence farming.

Mohamed Challey was unemployed until he received his first job as a miner for blood diamonds. He is the only one in his family that works and his income must be shared with both his family (wife and four children) and his mother and father. It is very difficult to share his income since he only gets paid 1,000 leones every morning — about 25 cents — plus one meal a day. Mohamed began mining for diamonds 10 years ago at the start of the civil war. One of the main problems in Sierra Leone is that the unemployment rates are unbelievably high. There are not that many jobs available and people need to eat and feed their families. For many, mining is the only way to avoid poverty or try to get out of poverty. They do not have the industrial resources to create jobs so people can have a better life.

Refrences: 1. Ernest Bai Koroma- President of Sierra Leone and an advocator of stopping blood diamonds. 2. The UN- They have helped through out the struggle of the civil war 3. Libera's Government- They have helped with supplying materials tht our people neeed to survive 1. Rule of Law: Sierra Leone is at the 21st spot as of 2011 with a score of 57. Sierra Leone is right about the middle when it comes to safety and rule of law.

2. Participation and Human Rights: When it comes to participation and human rights Sierra Leone scores differently when looking at the different aspects. Sierra Leone scored a 60 in participation. This score comes from their government system and how they elect and participate from a political system. Since Sierra Leone is a republic, this makes their government system easier to work with and able to score a high score then a country like Chad with a score of 25. Sierra Leone also scored a 58 on rights. Rights such as human rights, workers rights, political rights, freedom of expression and freedom of association and liberty. Human rights was a very big problem right after the civil war had ended in Sierra Leone. Problems included security force abuse and use of excessive force with detainees, including juveniles; harsh conditions in prisons and jails; prolonged detention, excessive bail, and insufficient legal representation; interference with freedom of speech and press; societal discrimination and violence against women, discrimination based on sexual orientation; child abuse; trafficking in persons, and child labor. Through the years to come the government started to take action and create a set of standards that you must follow creating more rights for everyone in Sierra Leone. As time grew human rights in Sierra Leone were established and main problems began to disappear.

When you look at gender ratios in Sierra Leone it is clear that men are superior to women. Their score was a 45 in gender. The main issue was women’s rights. Women have the right to vote, but husbands or other male figures are known to influence their decisions drastically. Of the 124 parliamentarians, 16 were women. Women held only one of the 20 cabinet positions. There were four female judges out of seven judges on the High Court, and the chief justice was a woman. You can see that women are not represented as well as they should be. Men are superior to women in Sierra Leone, and men do not back down to what a women says. Looking at the different data you can tell the drastic changes in Sierra Leone’s society. Their overall score in 2011 was 55 with a seed of 20.

3. Sustainable Economic Opportunity:

Despite its natural resources, Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world. With a growing youth population and massive unemployment, the U.N. estimates two-thirds of the population live on less than $1.25 a day (U.S dollars). There are not many job opportunities besides mining diamonds. Even mining does not financially support families as they should be. When they find a diamond they have to check for clarity and color of the diamond. From there they have to sell it to their boss and only receive half of the money. A diamond in Sierra Leone goes for about 100,000 leones which is $20 in America. You have almost half of the population in poverty because of the lack of jobs and economic opportunities. That is Sierra Leone was ranked 35th with a score of 41.

4. Human Development:

With the fact that Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world they have not been able to develop as one whole country. There are three major parts that go along with Human Development. These include health, welfare, and education. Without the money and resources to create a substantial program, there is no way that Sierra Leone could excel in this category. With the civil war that went on for 11 years, a lot of things were put on hold. They were not able to grow and expand their culture throughout their neighboring countries which is why they are so behind in human development.

5. Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone should win the $5,000,000 because they are making the step in the right direction. The government is taking steps and actions to create a better life for the people in this country. They need the money so that they can develop and grow as one nation. If Sierra Leone is rewarded $5,000,000 they could expand their government. They could build an army and expand their nation so that they could be strong and as one. They need to stop the unemployment rate from growing and need to create jobs. With this money they can industrialize and create a place where people can reieve jobs building houses and creating a place for all people to live as one. Works Cited: "Blood Diamonds." //Dandc.eu//. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. Doyle, Mark. "Sierra Leone 'blood Diamonds' Not Forever." //BBC News//. BBC, 21 May 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. Ford, Tamasin. "Sierra Leone's Diamonds Still A Source Of Contention." //NPR//. NPR, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

"Sierra Leone Conflict Diamonds - Stop Blood Diamonds - Diamond Education." //Sierra Leone Conflict Diamonds//. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.