According to the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS), an estimated 62% of women within the age range of 15 to 49 reported having experienced physical or sexual abuse. As such, as an online establishment, Liberty Online TV went to the hotspot districts with the highest recorded physical violence cases: Koinadugu District, Bonthe District, and Kailahun District, as a way to shine a spotlight on the unending issues of physical violence affecting women in Sierra Leone.

One of the heart-rending stories that really stood out was the story of Mariama Dansoko.
A mother of four in Kabala, Koinadugu District, Mariama, who was once married and gave birth to seven children, lost three with four surviving little children. She was forced into another marriage to a very abusive husband who physically abused her and, in the event, damaged her spinal cord, which has left her completely paralysed.

Continue to follow Liberty Online TV for full details of this story in a special documentary.