Dear Beloved People of Sierra Leone,
As your brothers and sisters from Nigeria, we are bound to you not just by geography, but by shared struggle and a vision for an Africa where every woman and child lives in dignity.
We write with an urgent warning.
A seemingly harmless event is being planned in your country: the so-called “Strengthening Families Conference,” backed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its close associates, including Sharon Slater of Family Watch International. It is our moral duty to tell you: this is not a conference to empower families, it is a carefully orchestrated attempt to roll back the rights, health, and freedoms of women and children in Sierra Leone.
What We Didn’t Know in Time: A Cautionary Tale from Nigeria
In 2023, this same conference was held in Abuja, Nigeria. It appeared innocent with titles like “Strengthening Marriages” and “Building Strong Families.” But beneath the surface was a dangerous and coordinated attempt to undermine decades of progress in women’s rights, gender equality, child protection, and health.
At the time, we did not fully understand the true motives of the conference, the church, and its allies. If we had known, we would have acted faster and strategically to prevent such events on our soil.
Sharon Slater, the headline speaker at the Nigerian conference in 2023 and president of Family Watch International (an organization identified by US think-tank as a HATE group), falsely claimed that sexuality education is designed to sexualize children, a blatant mischaracterization meant to provoke fear and moral panic.
Even more disturbingly, during a session on domestic abuse, another speaker suggested that women should only leave abusive relationships if “their life is in danger.” This normalizes violence, silences survivors, and puts women and girls at risk.
Why Sierra Leone? Why Now?
Because you are making bold, historic progress and that terrifies them.
● You passed the groundbreaking Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, protecting girls from early and forced marriage.
● You are investing in girls’ education and women’s health; all aligned with President Bio’s “Big Five” agenda for human capital development.
But with every step forward, foreign actors like the LDS Church and Family Watch International are pushing to pull Africa two steps back. They have targeted Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and now Sierra Leone, precisely because of your leadership.
The Hidden Agenda: Cloaked in “Family Values”
Let us be clear about the LDS Church’s record and intentions:
● They oppose family planning, despite Sierra Leone’s dire maternal health needs. They believe contraception interferes with “God’s plan.”
● They oppose sexuality, health, and life skills education, even though it has been proven to reduce teen pregnancy, prevent sexual abuse, and keep girls in school.
● They oppose divorce, even in cases of violence, and promote patriarchal structures that disempower women.
How can a conference claim to support families while opposing family planning, sexuality education, and protections against domestic violence? Are these issues not connected to families and are they not essential to Sierra Leone’s development and the health and rights of its women and children?
They Deceive – Even Our Greatest Advocates
In Abuja, they successfully lured respected figures like the Emir of Kano, a known champion against child marriage and for girls’ education and Regina Abu a Nigerian media professional and advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. LDS Church used their presence to legitimize the conference platform, even as they spread messages that directly contradicted both the Royal Highness and Mrs Abu’s life’s work.
This was not a dialogue; it was manipulation!
It may seem like just another church event. But behind the nice sounding songs and smiling faces lies a movement designed to erase the hard-won rights of Sierra Leone’s women and children.
Our Call to Action
● Government leaders: Do not allow Sierra Leone to become a testing ground for extremist ideologies disguised as faith.
● Faith leaders: Discern the difference between shared religious values and imported agendas that undermine African wellbeing and dignity.
● Women’s and youth groups and civil society: Stay alert. Raise your voice. Protect what you have fought for together.
This is not just your fight, it is Africa’s fight.
We, the undersigned feminist and youth-led coalitions and networks representing many institutional and individual members, urge you to remain vigilant and stand firm. We stand with you in love, unity, and shared purpose.
In Solidarity and Truth,
Nigerian Feminist Forum
Young Men’s Network Against Gender Based Violence
Liberation Alliance Africa
1.8Billion Youth Advocates for Change