Further Unleashing Press Freedom in Sierra Leone

CTN news and features programming often focuses on women's issues. In Sierra Leone, one in eight women risk death in pregnancy or birth, one of the highest incidences in the world. The AIDS Secretariat in Sierra Leone reports that nation-wide condom use averages only nine percent. Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is widespread, affecting about 90% of the female population (WHO, 2008).

Sierra Leone has a population of around 6 million, with approximately 60% living in rural areas. It is an extremely poor country, devastated by civil unrest and 11 years of civil war.

Adult illiteracy is astonishing high, averaging 63% overall and 75% for women. Sierra Leone's media environment is dominated by radio which is the most used and effective media in a largely oral culture.

Sierra Leone is a the very bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index, ranking among the lowest ten countries.