With support from United National Development Programme (UNDP) and Irish Aid, Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has organised third reginal advocacy consultation with stakeholders on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations focusing on the Constitutional Review Process (CRP) and the enactment of the Human Rights Defender’s Bill.
The meeting was to create public awareness for the people of Sierra Leone to understand what the government has accepted on their behalf.
The meeting was held at the Campaign for Good Governance hall, Waterloo in the Western Rural district on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
Deputy Director and Head of Treaty Body Reporting Directorate at HRCSL, Brima Kelson Sesay said they organised the stakeholder meeting because during the UPR, the government accepted 216 recommendations and they note 58 out of 274 recommendations that various countries cover for Sierra Leone at the 38th sessions of the UPR working group.
He said the government promise to make three additional commitments, including the review of the provisions that give government the power to sentence children in the Sexual Offence Act that was repeal in 2019 to be in line with the Child Right Act of 2007.
He said the government also to abolish the death penalty which the government have done in 2021.
“We are all aware that the government has restarted the constitutional review process by publishing the government white paper. The government has also abolished the death penalty, but we as a Commission even though we are happy for the abolishment of the death penalty we are still calling on them to ratify the second optional protocol of the death penalty because we don’t want other government to remove it in the constitution,” he said.
He said the government also made other recommendations to support the Human Right Commission for them to be able to do their work.
By Alimatu Jalloh