Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu of  Sierra Leone  should have been an easy choice for candidacy in the recent election for Niminyama’s Paramount Chief position:  she is from this village, is an elder and comes from a long family line of chiefs in the region. However, her bid for the position has been banned due to traditionalist views in Northern Sierra Leone that discriminate against women.  Not only was Ms. Sogbo-Tortu disqualified because of her gender, but her house has also been seized and her supporters have faced intimidation tactics at the hands of a local secret society. One of Ms. Sogbo-Tortu’s younger nephews has since been elected to the post, but she will not give up her fight: “I want the courts to rule that it is my right as a woman to become paramount chief in my home district. And this is not just about me. It is about all women all over the country.”

Local women’s rights groups and UN Agencies are currently protecting Ms. Sogbo-Tortu and supporting her goal to bring this issue to Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court.  To read more, visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8413266.stm