“In the Sahel, where the world’s gravest concerns converge, women and girls bear the brunt.”- Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. The world is becoming increasingly hostile towards women and girls. Sadly, by now each one of us may know of someone who has been targeted on the basis of gender-based violence. What is equally disturbing is the fact that the public opposition regarding gender-based violence is increasingly deafening. One area of the world where the spotlight dims regarding the rights of women and girls is the Sahel region of Africa. The Sahel, meaning “the shore” in Arabic, is a vast area crossing 6,000 kilometres from East to West Africa. It covers many geographic and agro-ecological systems, 12 countries and is home to 400 million people. The political region of the Sahel, as defined by the United Nations strategy (UNISS), covers 10 countries (Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria). The region faces many cha...