The Legal Aid Board (LAB) has conducted series of town hall meetings with over 500 stakeholders in Freetown, Waterloo, and Tombo in the Western Area Rural District.
The engagements commenced in Freetown on Friday, March 11, 2022; followed by another in Freetown on Wednesday, March 16; Waterloo on Friday, 18 March 18, and Tombo on Saturday, March 19, 2022.
The meetings which were funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) were dedicated to educating members of the public on the relevant laws, commission of crime and consequences, and the promotion of peaceful coexistence in communities.
It goes without saying that those who are educated on the laws are less prone to abuses when accessing the justice system and going about their daily activities. It also helps people to respect the rights of others and by extension promote peace in the community.
Organizations represented at the various meetings include the Sierra Leone Labour Congress; Motor Drivers and General Transport Workers Union; Council of Western Area Tribal Heads; Traders Council; Commercial Bike Riders Union (Okada Riders), Commercial Tricycle Riders Union (Kekeh Riders); Sierra Leone Police; Republic of Sierra Leones Armed Forces, Dumb and Deaf; Civil Society Groups; Sierra Leone Correctional Service; National Fire Force; Freetown City Council Metropolitan Police and Consortium of Fishermen.
Speaking at the meetings, the Executive Director of the Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanclies stressed the importance of understanding the laws in preventing the commission of crime. She underlined the importance of peace and justice. She added that the absence of the two has the potential to undermine instability in the community.
Speaking at the meeting in Waterloo, Ms. Carlton-Hanciles drew attention to the high crime rate in the town and its environment which is among the highest in the country. She described this state of affairs as threat to the community. She spoke about the sexual offences particularly sexual penetration which is very high. ‘Sexual offences are too high in the country, we should do something about it and this is why we are organizing these meetings,’ she stressed.
In Tombo, Ms. Carlton-Hanciles spoke about the May 2020 riots which resulted in loss of lives and property. She stressed the need for community leaders to look for early warning signs to prevent a recurrence. She said with elections in 2023, the Board will not want to see any threat to peace and security.
She said the Board is credited with contributing to free, fair and peaceful elections in 2018, adding that it organized series of community outreach events and town hall meetings with stakeholders and civil society groups across the country, mediated minor electoral offences, monitored communities prone to violence and mapped clique groups around the country and assigned Paralegals to them. She noted that the meetings are part of pro-active efforts at building on the successes of the 2018 Elections and ensure the 2023 Elections are freer, fairer and more peaceful.
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles also spoke about the electoral offences which include double registration, destroyong of opponent’s posters and billboard. She called on children not to take part in voting as that will amount to an offence.
Speaking to the audience at the Sierra Leone Labour Congress Hall in Freetown on 11 March 2022, The Country Officer for OSIWA, Joe Pemagbi said the courts do not solve all the justice issues. This is why some of the cases should be handled by structures in the community outside the courts. He drew attention to the correctional centers which are full and government spending a lot of money on food and health for inmates. He noted that the Community Justice Promoters can help to mediate some of the cases and bring people together in the community, something the courts cannot do.
Alhaji Alghassim Sesay the Board ADR Adjudicator in Freetown who chaired the meetings in Freetown explained how the Board is reducing tension in the community by mediating community level disputes and civil matters such as women who have been abandoned by their husbands. He drew attention to the 2023 Elections and encouraged participants to join the Board in making them free, fair and credible and peaceful.
The Legal Aid Counsel Lamin Kamara who chaired the meetings in Waterloo and Tombo said the initiative is to ensure the Board’s clients do not become lawbreakers. He called on the stakeholders to make good use of the Board’s engagement in order to prevent a breakdown of law and order.