How Data Helps Sierra Leone Prevent Gender-Based Violence – The Carter Center

 

Report on a Data-Driven Partnership to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Sierra Leone and Advance Sustainable Development Goals

Addressing Gender-Based Violence through Strategic Data Collaboration

In response to a 2019 national emergency declaration concerning Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone, a strategic partnership has been formed to enhance public awareness and prevention. The collaboration between The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program and the Rainbo Initiative, a local non-profit, has produced the Rainbo SGBV Data Dashboard. This initiative directly supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by transforming how SGBV case data is collected, analyzed, and utilized for policy and action.

The Initiative: Harmonizing Data to Strengthen Institutions and Justice

Overcoming Data Fragmentation for SDG 16

Previously, efforts to combat SGBV were hampered by inconsistent and siloed data collection methods. This lack of standardization obscured the true scale of the issue and impeded progress toward SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Key challenges included:

• Disparate recording methods between service providers like the Rainbo Initiative and law enforcement bodies such as the Sierra Leone Police Family Support Unit.
• Underreporting by survivors due to fear and lack of trust in official channels.
• An inability to conduct comprehensive analysis for effective policymaking and resource allocation.

A Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17)

To resolve these issues, The Carter Center facilitated the development of a common reporting tool. This multi-stakeholder collaboration, a core principle of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), ensures that data from social workers and police officers is harmonized. The standardized tool bridges the information gap, strengthens the operational relationship between institutions, and creates a unified front against SGBV.

Impact on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Promoting Gender Equality (SDG 5)

The data dashboard is a critical instrument for advancing SDG 5 (Gender Equality), particularly Target 5.2, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. The initiative contributes by:

1. Providing real-time, interactive data that makes the prevalence of SGBV visible to the public and policymakers, countering the assumption that low reporting equals low incidence.
2. Identifying geographic hotspots and vulnerable populations, allowing for targeted interventions and efficient resource deployment.
3. Empowering survivors by making data public, which enables them to hold service providers and government agencies accountable for creating effective programs.

Enhancing Justice, Education, and Well-being (SDGs 16, 4, and 3)

The project’s impact extends across multiple SDGs:

• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The dashboard provides decision-makers with timely analysis, fostering the development of effective, accountable, and transparent institutions.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Data from the dashboard is used by the Ministry of Education to identify schools with high case numbers, enabling the training of teachers in prevention and contributing to safer learning environments (Target 4.A).
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): By addressing the root causes and impacts of SGBV, the initiative supports the long-term physical and mental health of survivors.

Future Directives and Scaling for Greater Impact

The Carter Center and the Rainbo Initiative plan to expand the project’s scope to further embed data-driven practices in the justice system and achieve more comprehensive national coverage. Future objectives include:

• Widening the network of stakeholders using the harmonized tool to include prosecutors.
• Expanding data collection from the current seven districts to all 16 districts in Sierra Leone.
• Intensifying efforts to improve data collection and reporting in rural areas where services are less accessible.
• Leveraging the dashboard as a storytelling platform to acknowledge survivor resilience and ensure the issue of SGBV remains a public priority.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses issues that are directly relevant to three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The core focus of the article is on tackling sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone, a key component of achieving gender equality.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The article details efforts to improve the justice system’s response to SGBV by strengthening institutions like the police and promoting the rule of law through better data and accountability.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The initiative described is a collaboration between a non-profit (Rainbo Initiative), an international foundation (The Carter Center), and government bodies (Sierra Leone Police, Ministry of Education), exemplifying a multi-stakeholder partnership.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, several specific targets can be identified under the relevant SDGs:

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. The article is centered on the work of the Rainbo Initiative, which serves “survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, or SGBV,” and the national effort to address this issue, which was declared a “national emergency in 2019.”

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The data dashboard is designed to help “show what the country can do to prevent” violence by identifying where incidents occur and which interventions are effective.
• Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The article highlights the fear survivors have that “The police may not believe you” and the effort to bridge the data gap between service providers and law enforcement. The partnership with The Carter Center’s “Rule of Law Program” and the goal to include “prosecutors” in the data network directly support this target.
• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article explains that the data dashboard allows government agencies to “analyze the data in real time and turn that analysis into action.” It also empowers survivors to “hold us accountable” regarding resource allocation, thereby promoting institutional transparency and effectiveness.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The entire initiative is a partnership “produced in partnership with the Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program,” involving the Rainbo Initiative (civil society), The Carter Center (private foundation), and the Sierra Leone Police and Ministry of Education (public institutions).
• Target 17.18: Enhance capacity-building support to developing countries… to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by… location… and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. The article describes the creation of the “Rainbo SGBV Data Dashboard” to solve the problem of “underreported and inconsistent” data. The dashboard provides “up-to-date case information” and shows “where incidents are occurring,” with a specific goal to “beef up data collection in rural areas” to improve geographic disaggregation.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions and implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

Indicators for SDG 5 & 16

• Number of reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence: The article’s central tool, the “Rainbo SGBV Data Dashboard,” is designed to display “up-to-date case information.” The data collected by the Rainbo Initiative and the Police Family Support Unit directly measures the frequency and nature of reported SGBV incidents.
• Proportion of survivors reporting violence to authorities or service providers: The article notes that “Sometimes survivors won’t report to the police out of fear, but they will seek support at a Rainbo Center.” The “harmonized tool” for case reporting aims to capture these instances more accurately, providing a clearer picture of reporting rates.

Indicators for SDG 16

• Development of transparent and accountable institutions: The dashboard itself serves as an indicator of transparency. The article states that because “The data is public,” survivors and the public can ask, “Are we allocating enough resources and creating enough programs?” and “hold us accountable,” which is a qualitative measure of institutional accountability.

Indicators for SDG 17

• Existence and effectiveness of multi-stakeholder partnerships: The collaboration between the Rainbo Initiative, The Carter Center, and Sierra Leone’s government agencies is a direct indicator. The development and use of the “harmonized tool” and the data dashboard are measures of the partnership’s effectiveness.
• Availability of timely and disaggregated data: The article explicitly mentions the goal of improving data availability. Progress can be measured by the expansion of data collection from the current “seven currently recorded” districts to all “16 districts” and the effort to improve reporting in “rural areas” versus “urban areas.” This directly measures the availability of geographically disaggregated data.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators Identified in the Article
SDG 5: Gender Equality	5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls.	Number of reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) tracked via the data dashboard.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence.	Real-time analysis of incident data to inform prevention strategies and identify effective interventions.
	16.3: Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice.	Proportion of survivors reporting incidents to police or service providers, tracked via the “harmonized tool.”
	16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions.	Public availability of data on the dashboard, enabling citizens to hold service providers and government accountable for resource allocation.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.	The existence of the partnership between Rainbo Initiative, The Carter Center, and Sierra Leone government agencies.
	17.18: Enhance capacity-building to increase the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data.	Availability of timely SGBV data disaggregated by location (e.g., tracking expansion from 7 to 16 districts, improving data from rural areas).

Source: cartercenter.org