Of the 2.4 million children in Sierra Leone, 27% are identified as vulnerable. Around 11% is orphaned, having lost one or both parents; 18% of girls are married at age 15; 88.3% have experienced FGM/C; and 81.8% of children aged 2–14 years have experienced different forms of severe physical ,mental or Emotional abuse. Nationally 18.2% of children in Sierra Leone do not live with biological parents that are alive. Children not living with their parents are more at risk for abuse, violence and exploitation.
Services for the recovery of child victims of violence are limited and in many cases uncoordinated. Children especially in very rural areas do not have access to services for rehabilitation and recovery and so turn to traditional methods which can be useful but are not adequate. Available services are long distance away and parents are in most cases not able to pay travel costs for medical examination and treatment, fees for legal services and other essential services, useful for the child’s recovery.
The lack of children’s homes as protective shelters and other temporary care arrangements are either lacking in several parts of the country or completely absent. It therefore means that victims of sexual abuse have to travel to and from their homes in rural areas to attend court in the district headquarter towns. As they cannot afford the cost of this travel, they will not attend thus hampering the proceedings. The desperate need for emergency shelters to protect victims and address all the psycho-social issues of abuse is the reality for establishing VARIETY CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES.