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The Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone has held a sensitization meeting on the formation of Citizen’s Advisory Bureaus in all Wards in the Freetown municipality.

T he Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone has held a sensitization meeting on the formation of Citizen’s Advisory Bureaus in all Wards in the Freetown municipality. The meeting took place at the Mayor’s Parlor, Freetown City Council, Wallace Johnson Street. Present were the Mayor of Freetown and the 49 Councillors. Mrs Claire Fatmata Carlton Hanciles, Executive Director, Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone lauded the partnership between the Legal Aid Board and the Freetown City Council, for the Civil mandate they have to resolve issues, some of which are debt relief, land and tenant, and family and neighbourhood disputes. She spoke about the formation of Citizen’s Advisory Bureaus which will comprise retired senior citizens. The Bureaus Mrs Hanciles said, will conduct daily sessions to deal with these matters in their Wards. The Councillors, she said, would have to take the lead to maintain the Bureaus in their Wards, while the retired senior citizens who will be conducting the sessions, will b

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

As a Lawyer who has practiced in Sierra Leone before joining the international tribunal, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, I have seen firsthand how accused persons had to endure countless adjournments and months on remand due to lack of legal advice and representation.

My experience working with the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board since its establishment in May 2015 has broadened my understanding of the depth of the challenges plaguing the formal and traditional justice systems.

I have visited overcrowded prisons and police cells around the country. I have seen many accused persons literally abandoned in prison either because they cannot secure a bail or have not been with an indictment. Some have spent more time in remand than the maximum sentence for the crimes they are alleged to have committed. I have seen victims of domestic violence, rape and discrimination on the basis of gender resort to divine intervention because they cannot afford the cost of accessing justice.

I have seen powerful self-styled local lawyers run the show in the local/traditional courts and in the process abuse the rights of people and the Local Court Act 2011.

We have engaged and canvassed the views of agencies in the justice sector, Parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations. The interest in and expectations of the organization are heartwarming but also breathtaking.

This is what drives our commitment to deliver on our mandate to make justice accessible to those who have been left out because they are poor. For a start, we will deploy Paralegals in Police Stations in the capital and the 149 chiefdoms in the country to monitor Local Courts to ensure their activities are consistent with national laws and international human rights standards. Also, we will hire 100 Lawyers to provide free legal services to our clients.

This is without doubt a tall order considering the organization is new and the resources at its disposal are far from being adequate. We are convinced with support from the government, donors and well-wishers we can make a world of difference in the lives of ordinary people and in the process contribute to restoring much needed confidence in the justice system.