Harassment of female professionals and politicians in Sierra Leone seems to have progressed into physical attacks against them. All this not long after activities at the top that were supposed to protect women from attitudes that saw them in ways I cannot honestly describe without resort to language that would disappoint my parents.

Anyway, deploy the thinking: “Once is an accident, twice a coincidence, three times a pattern” against occurrences on the ground and it becomes easy to conclude attitudes in high places are driving or enabling these incidents. Look closely at the victims of the verbal, near physical and actual physical attacks and there are plain-to-see commonalities; and that could move us into a more complex conversation. Take the inaction that follows these shameful incidents, with perpetrators seemingly free to repeat offend, and it becomes clear that noises about gender-based violence have been nothing more than noises.

It seems women in Sierra Leone with the moral courage to stand up for what is right, now also need physical courage to act on their convictions. These women, and all who are appalled by this trend, should see these developments in context of ‘007’ writer Ian Fleming’s spin on the thinking I referenced earlier: “Once an accident, twice a coincidence, three times enemy action.”

Those looking away or doing the bystander thing are not-so-politely reminded that history has confirmed the folly of their ways. The confessional poem by a German pastor about his stance during a period of oppression starts with: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist…”, goes on to mention inaction through the persecution of groups he didn’t belong to, before ending with: “Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Well, today, as they come for the women, are we men going to say nothing?

© Othame Kabia