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Showing posts from July 29, 2016

Legal Aid and Traders on crime in Waterloo

Legal Aid and Traders on crime in Waterloo The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has disclosed plans to set up a committee to bring down the crime rate in Waterloo and its environs. The committee will comprise stakeholders including representatives of the Petty Traders Association and trusted intermediaries. Ms. Carlton-Hanciles was speaking to a cross section of the executive of the Petty Traders Association for the Western Area Rural District who had called on her on Wednesday, July 27. ‘The committee will be responsible for settling any matter that is not a crime,’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said. ‘We are talking of matters of debts, disputes between husband and wife and landlord and tenant. This should help decongest the police and the courts.’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles drew attention to the high crime rate in Waterloo which accounts for the highest in the Western Area. She added that rape is one of the most common crimes in the area.

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.