Members of the Citizens Advisory Bureau Working Committee have
adopted the Bye-Laws for the soon-to-established Citizens Advisory Bureau (CAB)
at a meeting at the AFRICELL Office on Bathurst Street in Freetown on Tuesday.
The Committee was put together at a stakeholders’ workshop on
June 9 at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium Hostels to educate and discuss
ideas about the Bureau which will offer Alternative Dispute Resolution,
Mediation and Referral services in the community.
The meeting was convened under the auspices of the Sierra
Leone Legal Aid Board. It attracted twelve Tribal Headmen from the Western Area,
Councilors from the Western Area Urban and Rural District Councils and
representatives of the Sierra Leone Police, the Sierra Leone Correctional
Service, National Youth Commission and civil society groups.
The Consultant for the meeting, Madam Memunata Pratt from the
Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Fourah Bay College led the
discussions on the draft Bye-Laws which were unanimously adopted after changes
were made to it.
The changes include increasing the tenure of office of the
Council from two to three years and its Chair and Vice Chair to hold office for
two consecutive terms only. Also, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security
and partners was added to the membership of the Council.
The participants agreed that those
elected to or nominated to the CAB Council should be knowledgeable on issues of
access to justice at formal and informal levels coupled with basic education on
cultural issues.
They also discussed how the Bureau
will be operated and sustained in the communities where they will be
established.
Since the Bureau will be managed by volunteers, the Committee members
stressed that the support of the community will be crucial to their
effectiveness and sustainability.
It was agreed that the Bureau will be
opened in phases starting with six in two constituencies in the Western Area. Each
constituency will have three Bureaus located in different Wards. In addition, the
host community will be responsible for providing the office space which could
be the Council Hall, Council School, Community School, Community Hall or Court
Barray.
The Legal Board was entrusted with overseeing
the establishment of the Bureaus across the country. This will involve assisting with setting-up
the Bureaus, registering Bye-Laws, training of Paralegals and Mediators,
fundraising and coordination.
It was agreed that the Board will not
be responsible for paying stipends to volunteers, renting or constructing
office space. In addition, it will not interfere in the election of members of
the CAB Councils. Also, it was agreed that each CAB Council will have three sub-groups
responsible for Mediation, Legal Representation and Legal Education,
reintegration and Community Development.
The Executive Director of the Legal
Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles described the frank discussions
which characterized the meeting and the consequent outcome as a crucial step
towards community ownership of the Citizens Advisory Bureau. ‘We have taken the
decisions as a team and will see them through as a body,’ she said. ‘We are now
energized to go into the community and mobilize resources to set-up the
Bureaus. We will provide the assistance we have committed ourselves to at the
meeting.’
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