SEVEN YEARS OF FATIMA BIO’S HANDS OFF OUR GIRLS AND NOTHING TO CELEBRATE

by Fatima Babih, EdD

Fact: Contraray to Fatima Bio’s recent assertions, the title “First Lady” does not exist anywhere in the Constitution of Sierra Leone (1991).

Implication:

• The wife of the President holds no constitutional office, no statutory mandate, and no automatic authority over state institutions, public funds, or national policy.
• Any program, campaign, or initiative she leads is extra-constitutional and must therefore meet higher transparency and accountability standards, not lower ones.

Claims of Hands Off Our Girls

• Ending rape and sexual violence against girls
• Advocacy and awareness campaigns
• Support for survivors
• Establishment of One-Stop Centers for rape victims
• National and continental “movement” for girls’ rights

These claims have been repeated in Fatima Bio’s:

• Speeches
• Social media posts
• Donor-facing events
• International appearances
• Recent Facebook posts marking a “7th Anniversary”

FUNDING SOURCES

(What can be reasonably confirmed from public records, official announcements, and donor visibility)

Government-Linked & State-Adjacent Support

• State logistics, security, and protocol routinely provided at HOOG events
• Use of state venues and international travel aligned with presidential delegations
• Involvement of ministries and government agencies at HOOG events without published MOUs or budgets

No publicly available line-item budget has ever been published showing:

• How much state money has supported HOOG
• Under which vote heads
• With what parliamentary oversight

International Visibility

HOOG and Fatima Bio have appeared at or alongside:

• UN-related side events
• OAFDL (Organization of African First Ladies for Development)
• Diplomatic and donor forums

Visibility does not equal funding disclosure. There is no consolidated donor report that has been published showing:

• Cash grants
• Program budgets
• Implementing partners
• Monitoring & evaluation frameworks

Philanthropic Claims

• Public references to “partners,” “supporters,” and “donors”
• No publicly accessible audited financial statements
• No donor list with contribution amounts
• No breakdown between cash, in-kind, and state-subsidized support

CLAIMS VS. OUTPUTS

Verifiable Evidence Matrix

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Critical Gaps Remain

To date, HOOG has not publicly disclosed:

• Total funds received (domestic or international)
• Annual budgets
• Audited financial statements
• Procurement processes
• Implementing partners
• Measurable outcomes
• Independent evaluations

These are minimum standards for any initiative claiming to protect vulnerable girls using public influence and donor goodwill.

THE 7-YEAR QUESTION: WHAT EXISTS ON THE GROUND?

After seven years of Hands of our Girls, no flagship, independently verifiable institution exists that can be clearly pointed to as Hands Off Our Girls:

• Established
• Staffed
• Funded
• Sustained
• Measurable in impact

Notably absent:

• A nationally recognized One-Stop Center system
• Survivor-led accountability structures
• Transparent service delivery data

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS RAISING FURTHER QUESTIONS

This week, according to Fatima Bio’s December 12, 2025 Facebook post, she:

• Brought several West African First Ladies to Sierra Leone
• Framed the gathering as a 7-year celebration of Hands Off Our Girls
• Simultaneously conflated HOOG with a regional climate-change resilience initiative that is not her personal creation

This raises urgent public questions:

1. What exactly is being celebrated after seven years?
   – Concrete institutions?
   – Documented survivor outcomes?
   – Or sustained branding without proof of delivery?
2. Who is paying for this celebration?
   – The Government of Sierra Leone?
   – Donors?
   – Foreign partners?
   – And under what budget lines?
3. Why is HOOG being merged rhetorically with unrelated regional initiatives?
   – Is this Fatima Bio’s attempt to borrow legitimacy and funding?
   – Or to mask the absence of HOOG-specific results?

WHY THIS MATTERS

False authority claims, nontransparent funding, and unverified impact:

• Undermine real grassroots women’s organizations
• Divert attention and resources from proven local actors
• Erode public trust in genuine anti-rape advocacy
• Exploit the suffering of girls for political capital

Girls do not need slogans.
Rape survivors do not need ceremonies.
They need services, justice, and accountability.

PUBLIC INTEREST CONCLUSION

Hands Off Our Girls has enjoyed:

• Seven years of unparalleled access
• Presidential proximity
• International platforms
• No Public Scrutiny

The burden of proof is no longer on citizens to “believe.”
It is on HOOG and Fatima Bio to publish the evidence.

Until then, Sierra Leoneans have a right to ask:

What has Hands Off Our Girls actually delivered in seven years and at what cost to the nation?