Njala demonstration stretches LAB to the limit

Njala demonstration stretches LAB to the limit
The Legal Aid Board office in Freetown was stretched to the limit following the storming of the office by desperate students of the Njala University seeking the intervention of the Board to secure the release of their colleagues who had been arrested and held in police cells around the city.
On a normal weekday, you would expect at least forty people crammed in the Freetown office to seek the services of the Board. The situation on Thursday, March 23 was characterized by mild chaos as too many students wanted to visit the office to provide updates on students arrested by the police.
The team of Legal Aid Board staff comprising Bankole Morgan and Anthony Karim Kamara negotiated the release of five of the six students detained at the Central Police Station. One was not released because of an alleged inflammatory statement to bring the city on its knees.
The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Calton-Hanciles, cancelled some engagements to be on the phone with senior police officers in the city to secure the release of students. She spoke with the Inspector General (IG) of Police Francis Alieu Munu, the Local Unit Commander (LUC) for Lumley, Chief Superintendent Shyllon and the Regional Commander West, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Kelie.
Ms. Calton-Hanciles and IG Francis Munu spoke about the demonstration and the fact that the student leaders who visited the office including the PRO for the National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUSS), Michael Mitchell Conteh have shown remorse. IG Munu assured that the police would release those they do not have any evidence against.
The Bo office also had a fair share of the turbulence as the staff had to close the office for their safety and work from an undisclosed location. The Board staff worked with the Southern Province Security Committee Members to restore calm in the township. Kenema Town also experienced some disturbances, but the office managed to remain open to the public.
Meanwhile, Ms. Calton-Hanciles has written to President Ernest Koroma to intimate him on the Board’s intervention in representing the students as its mandate demands. Also, the Board has prevailed on the students to keep the peace and stop all demonstrations as we await the University Senate decision on the matter. ‘We pray your speedy intervention into a swift resolution of this matter, as the students have a matter of days, after which it becomes practically impossible for them to have their academic year on course,’ the letter reads.

By: Joseph Dumbuya

LAB secures discharge of ‘violent’ youth

LAB secures discharge of ‘violent’ youth
As the Legal Aid Board prepares to provide legal assistance to indigents and children engaged in election related violence, it has successfully secured the discharge of a twenty-five old from Wilberforce in the West of Freetown charged with violence.
The Legal Aid Defence Counsel Hadiru Daboh secured the discharge after drawing the court’s attention to the failure of the complainant to attend court sittings for seven consecutive adjournments. What’s more, the complainant has not furnished the court with any reasons for his absence. Magistrate I.S. Bangura agreed with the Defence Counsel and discharged the matter. He noted that discharge would not stop the prosecution from reinstating the matter in future.
The accused, Alpha Kanu who plied his trade as driver and apprentice at the Wilberforce lorry park got involved in a fight with his boss Michael Aruna in February 2017. He was arrested and taken to the Congo Cross Police station following a complaint by his boss. According to Alpha Kanu, his injuries were ignored by the police even though they were more serious. He spent fifteen days at the Congo police station before the matter was charged to court.
The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles described the discharge as a test case which has been won. ‘We will be representing accused charged with election related violence,’ she said. ‘This case has, in some way, prepared us for the task ahead in terms of approach and legal arguments.’
According to Carlton-Hanciles there are lessons to be learned. ‘The complainant is not interested in justice, he is only interested in having the accused locked up which he succeeded in doing,’ she said. ‘We have too many such cases in our justice system, we have to find a way of punishing those who undermine the justice delivery system in this manner. I have a feeling we will have a lot of such cases in the election period, wherein people take matters which could be resolved in the community to the police to have their opponents lock up. We will be very ruthless with people who use the justice system to witch hunt or punish their opponents.’

LAB appeals closer cooperation with prisons

LAB appeals closer cooperation with prisons

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has called for closer cooperation with the Sierra Leone Correctional Service to promote access to justice for children.

‘The Correctional Service officers need to share information with our Paralegals regarding children in their custody so that we can provide them legal assistance,’ she said. ‘We wouldn’t know if the information is not made available to us because we do not expect children to be kept in correctional centers meant for adults.’

Ms. Calton-Hanciles made the call following the decision of the Correctional Service authorities in Kono not to admit children into the adult correctional center. This means child suspects refused bail will now have to be transported to Bo or Freetown, the only places with a remand home in the country. Ms. Calton-Hanciles   want those in other centers around the country to follow suit.  

Ms. Calton-Hanciles said that unlike adults who are subjected to the ‘Means Test’, children benefit from the scheme without any precondition. ‘Those kept in remand homes have benefited from the Board without any delay because our paralegals visits the homes regularly and inform the Juvenile Lawyer who represents them in court.’

The Board has incorporated peace messages into its school outreach programmes.     These messages will empower children so that they are not used by unscrupulous politicians to wreck violence. This includes things to watch out for to avoid being used. This includes free alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Also, those who are below eighteen should not attend rallies, while those who are above eighteen should attend small rallies during the day. 

Ms. Calton-Hanciles also disclosed that the Board will be providing legal assistance to children involved in election related violence and therefore want to have the Correctional Service officers on board to provide information as and when children are arrested.  

Also, the Board will be contributing towards a violent free election through its community and school outreach programmes. Already, the Board has instructed the eleven newly established Community Advisory Bureaus to organize outreach programmes geared towards ensuring peaceful elections. 

LAB partner deploy Paralegals in Waterloo

LAB partner deploy Paralegals in Waterloo

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has called on the people of Waterloo to complement the efforts of the Legal Aid Board, Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) by reducing the crime rate in their community.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles observed that Waterloo is among areas of the country with the highest crime rate. ‘Most of our clients in the Ross Road Courts in Cline Town in Freetown are from Waterloo and some commit very serious crimes like Sexual Penetration and Wounding with Intent,’ she said.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles delivered the keynote address at the ceremony in which six Paralegals who are part of legal aid project implemented by the Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation (LEWAF) were introduced to the Waterloo Community at the Frandie Hall in Waterloo on Saturday, 18 March 2017.

The project promotes access to justice for women and girls. It is funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)/Open Society Foundations (OSF) under the Legal Empowerment Shared Framework Programme.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles premised her address on the meaning of justice, its importance and progress in promoting access to justice since the establishment of the Legal Aid Board in May 2015. She observed that the challenges Waterloo face in reducing the crime rate and promoting access to justice can be attributed partly to the fact that the area receives little attention from non-governmental organizations compared to other parts of the country. ‘These organizations jump over Waterloo and take assistance to other parts of the country,’ she said.

She noted that progress is being made to address this problem. The Legal Aid Board has already opened an office and have a lawyer stationed in Waterloo. Also, LEWAF is establishing a presence with the deployment of Paralegals and the opening of an office.  This she noted will impact positively on access to justice in the community in terms of response to justice needs in the community, providing assistance to suspects, ensuring the police do their job in a professional and lawful manner, providing legal assistance to clients, legal education through outreach and keeping an eye on the informal justice sector which is access by majority of the people.

She said the Paralegals will reduce tensions in the community by mediating minor cases which would otherwise remain unresolved. This is because they cannot afford to hire a lawyer should the matter be taken to the courts. This causes bad blood which lingers on with unforeseen consequences.  ‘For instance, if a trader is owed Le 500,000 for her palm oil, she would decide not to take the matter to court because she will spend more to hire a lawyer,’ she said. ‘This is how tension builds up in the community and explode into violence.’

Reacting to concerns about continuity upon the expiry of the project, she assured that discussions with donors and stakeholders are already going on to ensure the Paralegals continue to render services when the life of the OSIWA-funded project ends by February 2018. She added that the Board will also recruit more Paralegals for Waterloo.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles was also quick to point out that the people also have part to play to improve access to justice.  She called on them to take the lead in reversing the negative image about the crime rate in Waterloo by becoming advocates for justice.

The Executive Director of Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation, Mohamed Jalloh drew attention to the deprivity and inadequate social amenities in the Waterloo Area. He noted that violence and other forms of human rights abuses are endemic in the Community and majority of the victims are women and girls thus the decision to focus on them. He underlined the challenges women and girls face in accessing justice which he attributed to the cost, illiteracy and lack of a clear understanding of how the system works.

He noted that domestic and gender based violence are rife in the community. He said his Paralegals will work with the police, courts and the community to improve access to justice for women and children. He added that the Paralegals will ensure a swift settlement of minor disputes so that people will not have to resort to the police.

The Chairman of the ceremony, Mr. Lesley Whenzle who was former Headman for Waterloo described Waterloo as unique in the sense that it links the capital Freetown to upcountry. In addition, a lot of villages depend on Waterloo for their livelihood. These include criminals who cause problems including theft and rape. He lamented that teenage pregnancy is also a serious problem. He assured that they will worked with LEWAF to address these challenges.

The Headman for Waterloo, Denise Omojowo Brown said the crime rate shames the authorities in the community. He noted that there have been cases where people have used money to undermine cases of rapes. He urged all to spread the message that every support will be given to LEWAF and its paralegals to ensure money does not stand in the way of access to justice and human rights.

The women’s representative, Yema Conteh who is the Director of Woman 4 Wamen said a lot of women suffer in silence because they cannot afford to access the justice system both in the formal and informal sectors. She said women are having challenges in accessing the justice system because women’s issues are not treated serious.

The representative of the Sierra Leone Police, Edward Senesie of the Waterloo Police Station pledged the commitment of the police in working with LEWAF to promote human rights in the community. Similar sentiments were expressed by Councilor Umar Sesay and Councilor Unisa Kister of the Waterloo community, the Chairman of the Petty Traders Union Albert Tarawally, the Temne Tribal Headman, the representative of the youths, Unisa Kamara and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs.

The ceremony was climaxed with the symbolic presentation of the keys to three motorbikes to the Executive Director of LEWAF, Mohamed Jalloh by the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles. The bikes will be used by the Paralegals to respond to justice needs in the Waterloo Community.

    

LAB opens 4 Community Bureaus in Freetown

LAB opens 4 Community Bureaus in Freetown

The Legal Aid Board has opened four more Community Advisory Bureaus  (CAD) in Four Wards in the East of the capital Freetown on Wednesday, 15 March 2017.  The Bureaus are located in Ward 347 covering Wellington Central in Bottom Oku, Maxwell and Palmer streets; Ward 350 covering Peacock Farm, Loko Town, Koya Town and Upmountain and Estate; Ward 351 covering Allen Town and its environs and Ward 353 covering Congo Water, Haja Fatmata, Newstead Lane and Post Office.

The formal opening of the four Bureaus by the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles follows the training of 96 volunteers at Maxwell Street in Wellington.  Ms. Carlton-Hanciles formally opened the Bureaus with these few words:  

‘On behalf of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Justice Sector institutions, I have the honour to formally launch the Community Advisory Bureau which will contribute to bringing justice to the Ward.’  This was followed by the handing-over of relevant documents for use of the Bureaus. These include copies of draft Invitation Letters, General Referral and Maintenance Agreement Forms to the respective Councilors.

The opening of the Bureaus came about a little over two weeks since the opening of four other Bureaus in the Wellington and Calaba Town Area in the East and nearly a month since the opening of the first set of three Bureaus in Lumley and Wilkinson Road area in the West of Freetown. This development brings to eleven the total number of Bureaus in the Western Area and by extension the country.

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles told the volunteers that their priority should be to reduce the numbers behind bars in the country which is very alarming. She lamented the increase in the numbers behind bars, resulting in overcrowding in correctional centers.

‘We have done our best to reduce the prison population since we started operations in May 2015 but have failed, we have to be honest,’ she said. ‘In 2016 we provided legal assistance to 26,000 poor people and were hopeful to decongest the correctional centers but the figures have been grim.’

She urged the Bureaus to come up with initiatives to reduce the number of matters taken to the police. According to Ms. Carlton-Hanciles many such matters could be prevented through community level meetings to address potential areas of conflicts.   She added that many matters taken to the police, especially civil matters, could be better resolved by the bureaus because the parties are also reconciled.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles took time to educate the volunteers on how to mediate some of the most common law and order issues in the community. She noted the Bureaus should not hesitate to mediate issues of husband and wife, debts, land, landlord and tenant, inheritance and property.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles urged the volunteers to live up to the confidence reposed in them by the groups they are representing in the Bureau. ‘You will become irrelevant the moment you lose the confidence of the people and this has the potential to undermine confidence in the Bureau,’ she said. 

She urged the volunteers to be neutral and stand up for the truth noting that everybody is equal before God and the law.

Papers were presented on the relationship between the Bureaus on one hand and the Legal Aid Board and legal aid providers on the other, Monitoring, Supervision and Reporting mechanism, Support of the Legal Aid Board to the Bureau and the relationship between the Bureau and the media.

The Chair of the Police Partnership Board for the East, Alhaji Algassimu Sesay said the people should count themselves lucky for being among the first to have the Bureau in their Ward. He stressed that they should therefore treated them with utmost seriousness to promote peace and security in the community. He praised the Board for ensuring the release of result of 253 pupils of the Trinity International Secondary School in Allen Town by the West African Examinations Council.

The  Councilors of the four Ward - Councilor Mohamed Tholley of Ward 350, Shedrack Kargbo of 353, Thaimu Bangura of 347 and Alhassan Bangura of 351 – pledge to provide the necessary support and to do  everything possible to ensure they succeed.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the representative of the chiefs, Lamin Sow; the Imam Alhassan Amin Samura, Pastor Jonathan Turay, youth leader Ibrahim Sesay, Women’s leader Aminata Minka and   Philip Gbow an opposition politician. 

LAB decongest prison In Koidu

 

LAB decongest prison In Koidu

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has hailed the authorities in the justice sector in Kono for decongesting the prisons. This follows the bold decision not to admit juveniles into the correctional center in the city. Reason being the center is not meant for juveniles.

 ‘This is the lawful thing to do because the whole of Kono District like ten other districts upcountry do not have a detention facility for juveniles,’ she said.  ‘Child suspects or accused refused bail should either be sent to Bo or Freetown which have a juvenile home. Before now, the juveniles refused bail are not sent to the remand home in Bo but kept in the adult correctional center. We have spoken against keeping juveniles in adult cells and prisons. We are delighted the prison authorities in Kono have listened to us.’

The decision not to admit juveniles into the correctional center came about after series of meetings between court officials and the Legal Aid Board Lawyer Ibrahim Mansaray.  

According to Lawyer Ibrahim Mansaray, the Magistrate in Kono, Ibrahim Yillah has been very cooperative in granting bail to juvenile offenders. Also, in cases where there are no sureties, he would grant self-bail for minor offences.     

The disclosure was made at a meeting the Legal Aid Board and Child Protection Officers of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the conference room of the Ministry of Justice, Guma Building in Freetown. The meeting discussed legal assistance to juveniles and the recruitment of children by criminals to perpetuate violence especially during elections.

By: Joseph Dumbuya

LAB resolves dispute over property in Kissy

LAB resolves dispute over property in Kissy

The Legal Aid Board’s Alternative Dispute Resolution on Tuesday, 7 March 2017 resolved a long standing dispute in respect of a property on Newcastle Street, in Kissy, Freetown between one Mr. Solomon Samba Mansaray and his seventy-seven year old elder sister Madam Marian Kamara who is in the country on holiday from the United States of America.

The two who had not been on speaking terms were reconciled. Both promised to work together in the interest of peace in the family. In this vein, Madam Marian Kamara agreed to cancel a U$ 400 debt owed by Mr. Mansaray. 

While the tension between the two had been lingering several years, Mr. Mansaray decided to report the matter to the Board in Freetown when he got information that Madam Marian Kamara was planning to sell the property.   The owner of the property who is the sister of both parties had died over a decade ago without leaving a will.

The documents for the property including the conveyance were left with Mr. Mansaray,   which he later gave to her sister for safekeeping. However, her refusal to return the documents to Mr. Mansaray led to tensions and mistrust between the two. 

Madam Marian Kamara denied planning to sell the property. She said she understands the property belongs the family and therefore a decision to sell it has to be made by the family.

The ADR got both parties to understand the laws relating to inheritance. It also got them to agree that the property belongs to the family of the deceased and that no single member can lay exclusive claim to it. 

LAB secures discharge for 6 school children

LAB secures discharge for 6 school children

The Legal Aid Board scored a major success in providing legal assistance to children in the courts by securing freedom for six in a single day, on Monday, 6 March 2017. The six were charged with offences ranging from assault to wounding with intent, wounding and assault and unlawful possession.  

According to the Juvenile Lawyer for the Board, Joel Deen-Tarawally, four of the accused were discharged, one was acquitted and discharged and another was acquitted on one count and convicted on another.

One of the four discharges is a school girl charged with wounding with intent. Lawyer Deen-Tarawally applied for her discharge for want of prosecution. He drew the attention of the court to the repeated absence of the Prosecuting Counsel and witnesses to testify in the matter. The application was upheld by Magistrate Otto During.  Prior to the discharged, Defence Counsel Deen-Tarawally secured bail for the accused on 13 February 2017.   

In an interview with the girl during pre-discharge briefing at the offices of the Board, she said she is a pupil in one of the secondary schools in Brama Lane. She said she was arrested on the 28 November 2016 for wounding a boy. She said the matter was reported to the Kissy Mess Mess Police Station by the boy’s sister.  According to the girl, she spent several days in police cell before the matter was charged to court.

Another accused a seventeen year old Junior Secondary School pupil in one of the schools in Fourah Bay in the East of Freetown. He was charged with unlawful possession of a mobile phone. He was arrested along Kissy Road on 10 February 2017 for stealing a mobile and taken to the Ross Road Police Station. The accused was discharged after being cautioned by Magistrate Otto During of the Juvenile Court No. 8 as a result of the plea in mitigation by the Board’s Defence Counsel Deen-Tarawally. The accused had earlier on pleaded guilty to the allegation.  

Defence Counsel, Deen-Tarawally made another plea in mitigation for a sixteen year old from Guard Street and its environs who had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent.  The accused was cautioned and discharged.

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles urged the kids to return to their respective school the next day. ‘You should make sure you go to school every day, study hard and do all your assignments and respect your teachers,’ she encouraged the children. ‘Education will never fail you. It will make you a better citizen.’

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles seized the opportunity to call on all the relevant Ministries, Non-Governmental Organizations and agencies to provide the kid with the necessary support. ‘We will help you track the children in their respective communities so that you can provide them the necessary support to rebuild their lives and help them not to reoffend,’ She said.

LAB kick start nationwide registration of legal aid service providers

LAB kick start nationwide registration of legal aid service providers

The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board has in a public notice commenced the provisional accreditation of legal aid service providers in the country. The exercise will end on the 31 May 2017. Those who fail to register within the deadline would have committed an offence under the Legal Aid Act 2012. The Act provides that an organization which provide legal aid without being accredited ‘commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding thirty million leones or an imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.’

Explaining the benefits of being accredited with the Board, the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles said the certificate will be used to recognize credible legal aid service providers, which is needed by both government and donors in dealing or providing support to them.

According to Ms. Carlton-Hanciles accreditation will bring much needed transparency and openness in the operations of legal aid service providers. ‘It will give an idea of the number of service providers, areas of the country they operate and target beneficiaries,’ she said. ‘It will also ensure accountability in the sense that people will know the amount of support and funds provided to the service providers and the impact this is having on beneficiaries.’

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles added that the exercise will help the service providers to coordinate their interventions. This will prevent wastage and duplication of interventions. ‘Even though we do not have the resources including human to services all those who qualify for legal aid, accreditation of service providers will ensure we impact as many people as we possibly can.’

The Legal Aid providers are required to pick up Accreditation Forms from the Legal Aid Board office classiest to them. The forms will be processed, approved and certificate issued in any of the Legal Aid Board offices around the country.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said that on the expiry of the May 31 deadline, donors are required to provide support or funds to those who are accredited and recognized by the Board. 

Why you should support the Community Advisory Bureau in your Ward

Why you should support the Community Advisory Bureau in your Ward

The Legal Aid Board opened four Community Advisory Bureaus (CAB) in Wellington and Calaba Town on 28 February 2017. This is the second set of Bureaus, the first being the three in the Lumley and Wilkinson Road area in the West of the capital Freetown.  The latest addition brings to seven the total number of Bureaus in the country supervised by the Board. This will continue in the coming weeks and months.

The Bureaus are non-political and non-profit. They are run by volunteers drawn from the Ward and reflect the shades of opinion therein.  The CAB is an initiative of the Board which was borne in the second half of 2015 following consultations with civil society groups and partners in the justice sector on expanding access to justice.

The consultations took place against the backdrop of constraints faced by majority of the people in accessing justice.  There is a strong feeling among partners that access to justice is expensive, complex and fraught with chronic delays. Ignorance about the legal system has not been helpful. In addition, the formal court is perceived as intimidating because proceedings are not conducted in the local language and the judgments rarely take into account the culture and tradition of the people.  Also, the formal courts are far removed from remote communities as a result their impact is hardly felt by these people.

For these reasons and several others, many aggrieved people take solace in committing their grievances to divine intervention rather than seek redress in the courts, be it in the formal or informal including those outside the Local Court Act 2011.

These consultations culminated in a stakeholders’ workshop in June 2016 at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium Hostels to educate and discuss ideas about the Bureaus. The workshop was climaxed with the formation of a Community Advisory Bureau Working Committee to work with the Board’s consultant to develop the bye-laws for the Bureau.

This was followed by another workshop in July 2016 in which the Community Advisory Bureau Working Committee adopted the Bye-Laws. In addition to the Working Committee, the Workshop attracted twelve Tribal Headmen from the Western Area, Councilors from the Western Area Urban and Rural District Councils, representatives of the Sierra Leone Police, the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, National Youth Commission and civil society groups.

This paved the way for community level engagements to kick-start the setting up of the Bureaus. The Outreach Section of the Board has been organizing series of sensitization meetings and consultations with key actors in Wards in the Western Area.

This resulted in securing office spaces and the consequent opening of seven Bureaus in Freetown so far. These meetings and consultations will continue until the Bureaus are established in all the 394 Wards in the country.

The Bureaus are the first port of call for members of the community who have law and order issues or minor disputes. One of the core functions of the Bureau is to conduct Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services. They mediate civil cases – matters of a non-criminal nature. This includes cases of debts, maintenance, land issues, landlord and tenant, Employer and Employee, family, marital and community level problems.

The Bureaus will refer cases which do not fall within their remit – criminal and civil cases - to the relevant national institutions. Cases of a criminal nature will be referred to the police and the courts. Others will be referred to the Local Courts, Ministries of Lands, Labour and Social Welfare, Ombudsman and the Legal Aid Board.

It is important to note that the decisions of the Bureaus are legally enforceable. This means should any of the parties to the mediation decide not to abide by the settlement reached and resort to courts, the Board will make available to the Courts the undertaking signed by both parties.

Apart from the ADR, the Bureaus undertake legal education through community outreach events on national laws, Rule of Law, human rights, mandate of the Legal Aid Board, social reintegration of ex-convicts, civic education and advocacy.

Also, the Bureaus have an Employment Desk and an Information Board. The former provides information on employment opportunities in and outside the Ward. They will provide internship placement for young people in the community to assist with providing the experience they need to compete in the job market.

The Bureaus will assist with implementing Legal Aid Board projects in their respective Wards. For instance, they will be an integral part of the Board’s campaign to ensure a violent-free election. This is part of a proactive strategy to prevent violence rather than provide legal assistance to indigents who perpetrate violence.

The Board has been involved with the establishment of the seven Bureaus every step of the way. It funded the training of the volunteers which marks the final stage in operationalizing the Bureau.

As and when funds are available, the Board will support the Bureaus by providing additional training including Paralegal work and Mediation. This will build their capacity in mediation, issues of law and advocacy.

You too can support the Bureau in your Ward. So far, the support of residents of the various Wards has been reassuring so far. For instance, the Councilors in six of the seven Wards were pivotal in securing office space for the Bureaus. In the case of Ward 346 in Calaba, Executive Director of the Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation, Mohamed Jalloh provided space for the Bureau.

This is a positive step towards ownership and making the Bureaus sustainable. But this is far from being enough. Full sustainability can be achieved if members of the Ward take complete ownership of the Bureau by providing them the necessary support and holding them to account.

The assistance can be in the form of things as basic as furniture, money to cover running cost including fare and credit for communication and electricity, stationery for General Referral and Maintenance Agreement Forms and Invitation Letters, chair rental and allowance to focal person who will oversee the day to day running of the Bureau and volunteers.

Already, the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has been sounding the alarm bell since she was confronted by a volunteer on the issue of running cost for the Bureau during the training in Calaba Town.  The volunteer wanted to know from Ms. Carlton-Hanciles where money covering  running  cost will come from.

‘Assuming, I need say Le 5,000 to deliver an invitation letter, who will provide the money since the Bureau’s kitty is empty?’ he said.  Ms. Carlton-Hanciles had this to say by way of response: ‘The Bureau is work in progress, we need to give it time.’

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles was quick to point out that the Bureaus are community owned and lead. ‘We have done our bit to assist you in setting them up and will continue to provide technical and other support as a when resources are available,’ she said. ‘But we have to be very clear in terms of ownership, you own the Bureau and not the Legal Aid Board.’

By: Joseph Dumbuya

LAB opens 4 Bureaus in Wellington and Calaba Town

LAB opens 4 Bureaus in Wellington and Calaba Town

‘On behalf of the Legal Aid Board and our partners in the justice sector, I formally open the Community Advisory Bureau.’  With these words the Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles gave the green light to four bureaus in the Wellington and Calaba Town Community in the East of the capital Freetown to start operations with immediate effect. 

This follows the training of eighty volunteers by the Board at the Pamronkoh Community Center in Calaba Town on Tuesday, 28 February 2017.

The Bureaus are located in Ward 346 covering Pamronkoh, Mayenkini and Robis; Ward 348 covering Old Wharf, New Town and Alpha Terrace; Ward 349 covering Pa Morlai Field and YDM and Ward 352 covering Melon, Caulker, Beecle and Philip Street. The Wards are in constituencies 96, 97 and 98.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles likened the volunteers to Magistrates and Judges who will be mediating non-criminal matters in order to cut down on unnecessary cases in the police and the courts.

She told the volunteers that they should ensure justice comes right down to the community and not remain in the courts and police stations. He noted that there are law and orders issues in the community because good people who are in majority have failed to stand up and do something about it.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles impressed on the volunteers to undertake fundraising activities to sustain the Bureaus. ‘You should organize football matches and approach local businesses to raise funds,’ she said. ‘They will provide support if the Bureau is relevant to the community.

She assured that the Board will assist with fundraising by talking to donors and big organizations on their behalf. ‘We will bring some of them to your Bureau to see what you are doing,’ she said. ‘In the future we will lobby Government and the Councils to support you.’

She urged the volunteers to refer cases which do not fall within their remit to relevant institutions like the police, courts, government ministries and agencies and the Board. She encouraged them to refer land cases to the Board where they could be resolved through the Ministry of Lands.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles took time to share experience on some of the matters they will be mediating. On the contentious issue of inheritance, she said the law is clear on how property should be shared. She noted that in the case where the husband is deceased, the property should go to the wife and the children and not the relatives of the deceased.

On the other hand, if the husband and wife are deceased and do not have children, the property should be shared equally between the relatives of both the deceased. Also, when a property is inherited by a family or a group, no single individual can claim exclusive right to it.

She encouraged volunteers to exercise caution when handling disputes between husband and wife because the outcome could have repercussions for the children. She said some of the cases have to do with the wife withholding sex as a result of the failure of the husband to provide food for the family.

Ms. Carlton-Hanciles urged the volunteers to take proactive steps to prevent law and orders issues through legal education to schools and communities. ‘You should engage the imams and pastors to pass messages to the community.’    

She noted that domestic violence is a serious problem in the community which the Bureaus should take head on by ensuring the victims including men have the confidence to speak out and seek help.

She told the volunteers to work towards ensuring a peaceful election rather than wait to mediate matters relating to election violence. She added that the volunteers should target violent prone communities and people for legal education.

‘You know those who perpetrate violence in the communities,’ she said. ‘You also know communities which are hotbed for violent activities. You should let people know that they can belong to the same tribe, family, community, club or religion and support different political parties and at the same time live in peace.’  

Papers were presented by staff of the Board. The Registrar, Joseph Dumbuya presented a paper on the relationship between the Bureau and legal Aid providers. He underlined the need for collaboration and sharing of resources to create maximum impact in the community.

The Community Affairs Officer, Ben Turay explained the Bye-Laws for the Bureaus. This includes roles and responsibilities, membership of the Bureau and funding.

The Public Relations Officer, Derek Nat-George presented a paper on the relationship between the Bureau and the Media. He shared experience on how to communicate information and grant interviews with the media.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Salu Jusu talked the participants through Documentation and Reporting procedures. He said documentation will provide an insight into the number and types of complaints, complaints resolved and referrals. He took time to explain how to fill the General Referral and Maintenance Agreement Forms.

The Outreach Officer, Ibrahim Kamara spoke of the other services that will be provided by the Bureaus. These include an Employment Information Desk and an Information Board. The Desk will work closely with the Ministry of Labour to provide information on job opportunities in and outside the community. 

The Board will also work with the Ministry of Information to provide relevant information on issues relevant to the community. It will also work with the Ministry of Youth Affairs to provide internship placement for young people.

Other speakers include the Officer Commanding for the Calaba Town Police Station, Assistant Superintendent Memunatu Samura. She noted that she believes in community policing and as such has visited and maintained a close relationship with all the communities in her operational areas. ‘We cannot police Calaba Town on our own, we need to have the communities onboard,’ she said. She noted that if people want to work with the police, they should be ready to expose bad people even those close to them. 

The Councilor of Ward 346, Mary Kamara said Calaba Town was among the first communities to benefit from the Board which resulted in the release of 18 of their children who were arrested by the police and remanded at the Pademba Road Correctional Center.  

The Temne Tribal Head, Ya Alimamy Isha Sesay said she only mediate matters which fall within her purview and had challenged lawyers who had attempted to interfered with her work. She encourage the volunteers to seek the truth. She noted that she has succeeded in reconciling his subjects because she is guided by for the truth.   

Henry Kassim, Chair, National Opinion Pool under the Tumac Radio reminded her audience that Foday Sankoh took up arms against the state because of an injustice he suffered. He noted that, if we fail to address injustices in our society, many Foday Sankohs will emerge. ‘The Bureau is an attempt to address injustice,’ he said.  

He had this to say to the volunteers: ‘If you do things for nothing, you will get things done for nothing.’  He noted that the Bureaus will address the issues of exploitation of people by some local chiefs. ‘‘Some of them charge for everything even to take your seat in their ‘court’,’’ he said. ‘The Bureau will put a stop to this.’