Sierra Leone News: 21% of Prostitutes in Freetown are Children -News Report Says

June 4, 2019

A latest survey done in Freetown has shown that 21% of prostitutes in the capital Freetown are children. The research which was done by Pink Power Organization and Brighter Horizon Project also revealed that most of these children had their first sexual experience through rape.

The research shows that these children who constitute this category fall within the age bracket of 11 and 15.

“These children had their first sexual experience through rape. They were raped by family members mostly by uncles and other relatives,” the summary of the report reads.

In Sierra Leone, girls under the age of 18 cannot legally consent to having sex.

These statistics are a shocking revelation of the condition of girls in the country. The organizations which conducted the research say they interviewed up to 400 prostitutes in the city to come to these conclusions.

Recently there has been a public outcry on the spate of rape cases against women and girls in the country. This led to the declaration of a state of emergency on rape by President Julius Maada Bio.

In Sierra Leone there is a high social stigma attached to rape and prostitution, as a result many of the girls and women involved have been left affected by sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy.

A volunteer with Pink Power, Khadija Bangura, said a lot of the reasons why these children go in to prostitution are poverty related.

“Many children are involved in this as a result of poverty. Most of them are orphans. They are responsible for themselves. The only way to achieve this is to have sex,” she said during the launching of the report.

She added: “The country cannot cater for vulnerable children like these, except NGOs take the responsibility.”

Marie Shyllon, a worker with Brighter Horizon Project, said both organizations do not just stop at gathering data, that they have also been working with these girls to give them viable alternative livelihoods.

“We have helped teenage girls to escape prostitution; we have helped more than forty girls. We take children who are involved in this (prostitution) from the street, provide them with houses to live, education, training, food and pocket money, “she said.

Sierra Leone News: SL Government Signs Deal with Mercy Ship

June 4, 2019

During an audience with His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone this week, the government and charity Mercy Ships signed both an Accord De Siege and a Protocol Agreement which begins a fresh working partnership based on a country engagement plan for 2019-2023.

The country engagement plan, which begins with a protocol signing, initiates a period of assessment, then a 10-month surgical ship deployment which will include provision of free surgical and dental care in partnership with local institutions for training of health care workers, followed by additional support after the ship’s departure and, lastly, impact evaluation.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Sierra Leone I wish to express profound gratitude to Mercy Ships for their continuous humanitarian and medical supports towards providing treatment to people with various medical conditions,” stated Dr. Anthony Sandy Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation.

These agreements pave the way for necessary collaboration in-country to begin assessment and design of programs as well as arrangements for port, security, water and sanitation necessary for a future port visit. In addition to providing surgical services, the hospital ship will serve as a platform for training West African health care professionals. The programs ensure that the positive impact of Mercy Ships will continue long after the ship leaves Sierra Leone.

Mercy Ships CEO Donovan Palmer highlighted the partnership aspect with the government of Sierra Leone. He stated, “We are excited to confirm that we are in the early stages of planning a future return to Sierra Leone, which will be our sixth field service ⁽¹⁾ working in this nation and our first since the Ebola crisis. Now that agreements are signed, we begin the important process of assessing the needs that exist and how we can best assist to deliver hope and healing to those in tremendous need of care.”

Specifically, these agreements will allow Sierra Leoneans to benefit from the specialised surgical services of the hospital ship and training of West African medical professionals to build capacity. With its crew of surgeons, nurses and other professionals from around the world who volunteer their services on the hospital ship, Mercy Ships will make investments in local health care facilities and provide continuing education for local professionals, mentoring in such fields as maxillofacial surgery techniques, orthopaedic trauma, nursing, paediatric anaesthesia and infection control. The partnership will focus on improving quality of care and communication.

Sierra Leone is a rapidly growing country with an estimated population of 7.88 million, up from 5.5 million in 2008.⁽²⁾Sierra Leone is positioned at 84 out of 189 countries and territories in the Human Development Index, which Mercy Ships uses to assess areas of need for service. Sierra Leone’s life expectancy at birth increased by 14.9 years although the nation’s GNI per capita decreased by about 18.2 percent during the same time.⁽³⁾

Improvements have been made in health care, despite the direct and indirect disruption to services during the two-year Ebola epidemic that began in 2014. The crisis resulted in more than 30,000 reported cases and 11,000 deaths throughout Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, where Mercy Ships is currently wrapping up a field service.

All Mercy Ships services are provided free of charge, thanks to donors around the world in their support of the volunteer professionals on board the Africa Mercy and the nations they serve. The Africa Mercy is currently scheduled to arrive in Dakar, Senegal for 10 months from mid-August this year.

Sierra Leone News: RSLAF Dismisses 4 Pregnant Recruits

June 4, 2019

The Republic of Sierra Leone Army (RSLAF) says it has dismissed four female recruits after they were found to have gotten pregnant just a week into training. The dismissed recruits were part of a special team of all-female intake. The 300 women were recruited as RSLAF’s response to demands from international peacekeeping missions for countries to ensure that at least 15 per cent of their contingents taking part in peace keeping operations are women.

Major Yaya Brima, Spokesman for the RSLAF, said the four were dismissed on 16 April, after failing final medical test in respect of pregnancy.
“As usual, particularly for female trainees, this final test was conducted in the first week of the training,” he said, adding that those slammed with the marching orders included one cadet and three recruits.

Major Brima said the move is part of RSLAF efforts to fulfil the government’s drive to ensure all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) meet the 30 per cent quota for inclusion of women as recommended by the United Nations. The special team of recruits is expected to graduate this June.

Sierra Leone News: Diaspora Medicos Offer Free Medical Services

June 4, 2019

Some 1,300 people have benefited from free surgeries, medical examinations, dental extractions and other medical services delivered by Sierra Leonean healthcare professionals living in the Diaspora during a two-week medical mission in Moyamba District, southern Sierra Leone.

It could be recalled that in 2017, IOM launched the project: “Strengthening Sierra Leonean National Health Care Capacity through Diaspora Engagement” under its Migration and Development for Africa (MIDA) programme.

Through the project, a partnership was created with the Afro-European Medical and Research Network (AEMRN), a network of Diaspora Sierra Leonean healthcare professionals, to provide free healthcare services in rural communities.

Access to effective health care services is a major problem in many rural districts across Sierra Leone, where villagers often must travel long distances to access life-saving medical services. This situation is in large part due to the shortfall in health workers in the country.

According to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, in 2017, less than 350 Sierra Leonean doctors were registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Sierra Leone.

Although the project ended in March 2019, the members of the AEMRN expressed their willingness to continue to voluntarily share their skills and expertise beyond the project timeframe. To this effect, a Mobile Health Clinics (MHC) campaign was rolled out between 4 and 17 May 2019 in partnership with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health and nine health professionals from the AEMRN.

“We are happy to come back to serve our peers, especially those in remote areas. We want to achieve the Universal Health Coverage, thereby leaving no one behind. Therefore, we will continue to organize such medical missions to reach out to more people especially those in rural areas who cannot afford to pay for health care services,” said Dr Charles Senessie, a medical professional based in Switzerland and founder of AEMRN who participated in the campaign.

“We welcome the efforts of these skilled Sierra Leoneans who are willing to lend their skills to better the lives of their peers. This is also a way to give back and transfer knowledge and skills to local health care staff,” said Alhaji Sanusi Tejan Savage, Head of the IOM Office in Sierra Leone.

During the mission, doctors from local health clinics, including house officers, worked closely with the diaspora medics. Gregory Bajaalah, Medical Superintendent of Moyamba District, was one those who participated effectively. For him, “the mission was necessary for the district, as local medical staff had the opportunity to learn from experienced medical experts.”

The medical mission was conducted with support from IOM, the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Serve United, Afro-European Medical and Research Network, the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in Geneva and the Sierra Leone Dental and Medical Association.

Sierra Leone News: NP-SL Playing Giant Role in Reducing Poverty

June 4, 2019

Without any iota of doubt Sierra Leone’s premier petroleum company, National Petroleum Company (NP-SL) is generally described as the major petroleum company that is greatly contributing towards reducing poverty by putting money into both the coffers of the Government and its numerous employees, thus making it possible for thousands of dependents to also benefit by way of socio-economic benefit and personal and family welfare through NP employees.

At the same time, the National Petroleum Company of Sierra Leone is being extolled for being very particular and consistent in providing very high quality grades of petrol, diesel and kerosene.

This is one major reason why the National Petroleum (NP) Sierra Leone Limited is always held in very high esteem.

It is noted that in order to keep abreast with latest international technological trends, the National Petroleum Sierra Leone (NP-SL) recently introduced for its customers the opportunity to use Smart Cards to purchase petroleum and other goods; meaning that buyers could top-up their cards to the tune of any amount which they can then use intermittently to procure petroleum products. This has made it convenient for easy transactions to be made and many customers are very comfortable with this arrangement.

NP-SL has been highly commended for remarkable service delivery to its numerous customers both within and out of the country.

In addition, NP’s unique state-of-the-art filling stations that are providing timely services; the company has been rated as one of the most successful indigenous business entities that always ensures it lives up to expectation. .

Management of NP places premium on offering the best geared towards giving value for money.

Most importantly, NP considers its customers of different categories to be paramount treating them with all the attention they deserve.

Indeed, this assertion has been unchallenged against the backdrop that the company has never faltered in its obligation.

It is a fact that human existence can be difficult in the absence of fuel which is why the relevance of NP cannot in any way be underrated.

One outstanding thing that the company is noted for its immense contribution in offering jobs to different class of people proving that it is not just the prerogative of Government to do such as the private sector too could play a vital role in that direction.

NP is widely known for facilitating safer and cleaner means of cooking. NP Gas Cooker are now household commodities which are affordable and readily available in all their outlets nationwide.

When we talk of an indigenous company that has put smiles on the faces of Sierra Leoneans and is making the people of this country very proud, the National Petroleum Company stands taller than the rest! For a company to move beyond the shores of this country and establish branches in Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and The Gambia which are vibrantly operating is no mean feat. Indeed, NP has added another feather to its cap and is being copiously praised for such an accomplishment.

The company’s result-oriented managerial team will definitely and sustainably continue to put NP at the top.

NP-SL Ltd. is doing exceptionally well in all the countries it is operating and indeed there are prospects for further expansion.

It can therefore be justifiably stated that the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited is the country’s reliable fuel provider as it always ensures that its stockpile is always at an appreciable level.

Against this background NP is believed to be one of the strong back bones of Sierra Leone’s economy.

The Management of NP is well determined to continue to contribute to development and despite the challenges it is currently grappling with it is steadily make commendable strides that will benefit the majority.

Sierra Leone News: 4 Communities Benefit from Bollore Donations

June 4, 2019

In a bid to meet its corporate social responsibility within the communities where its operates, Bollore Freetown Terminal Company has donated over 100 million Leones worth of food items to Sea Side Community, Moa Wharf Community, Constituency 122 and Sierra Leone Ports Authority.

The donation which served as a Ramadan token was geared towards strengthening cordial relationship between the company and the communities and it was done between 25^th and 31^st May 2019 at the aforementioned communities.

The donation included bags of rice, bags of onions, bags of flour, gallons of oil, assorted drinks and much more.

While handing over the donations to the various communities, Gassimu S. Fofana, Head of Communications and Public Relations at Bollore Freetown Terminal Company explained that this is not the first time for the company to make such donations and it would not be the last.

“We are a multi-national company that values human relationship, human capital development and we show commitment when it comes to our contribution to countries where we operate,” he pointed out. He further said that the company has contributed immensely in the fulfillment of their CSR to give back to society; and that the company will continue to stand by the people of Sierra Leone in ensuring a prosperous nation is achieved.

He reiterated that the company over the years has maintained excellent relationship with its surrounding communities and has undertaken several projects including but not limited to the rehabilitation of Ross Road and Sea Side Police Stations, dishing out scholarships and learning materials to school going children, donation of cleaning materials to the communities as a way of supporting government’s monthly cleaning exercise and more.

Bollore of which Freetown Terminal is a subsidiary emerged the successful bidder and eventually entered into a concession agreement with the government of Sierra Leone in 2010 granting the company the right to operate the container terminal.

However, to the concession agreement, there have been addendums geared towards amending relevant sections of which addendum number 4 signed in September 2015 contained the development of a new berth with a length of 270 meters and a Draught (dept) of 13 meters, with the installation of modern port equipment that include two Ship to Shore cranes called STS for short and four Rubber Tire Gantry cranes called RTG for effective operation at the port. Also in the addendum, the government of Sierra Leone was granted to be an equity owner of 20% shares in the company.

Sierra Leone News: Bio Meets Swiss Dele for Development & Cooperation

June 4, 2019

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has engaged a high-level delegation from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, (SDC), led by its Head of Global Programme Water Initiatives, Johan Gély.

The SDC is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of Swiss international development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as humanitarian aid.

The delegation’s appointment, during a courtesy call at State Lodge on Hill Station in Freetown, was aimed at continuing and concretizing the discussions around city twinning and blended finance partnerships, particularly for trans-boundary capital fundraising for support to the sustained delivery of services in the city of Freetown.

Mayor of Freetown City Council, FCC, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, who chaired the meeting, said she had started discussions with the Swiss group back in 2018 on how Sierra Leone and Switzerland could partner on the issue of water which was key to the Swiss development initiative.

She said the focus of FCC was the preservation of water catchment areas in the ecosystem while looking at where the water was being sourced and used. She said she was very excited about the prospects of a partnership between the two cities in addressing challenges which were unique to both cities.

Head of Delegation, Johan Gély, said they were in the country to promote an initiative called Blue Peace which was a new way of investing in the water sector. He said their visit was also a preliminary fact-finding mission on main sites at the early stage.

He said by working with the FCC they were trying to find out new financial avenues for the water sector, which he noted, that unlike other social sectors was challenged by financing. He said the Blue Peace initiative was looking at ways of getting a multi-sectorial approach, a new paradigm in water financing.

In his response, President Bio said he was excited about exploring new paradigms to solve the perennial problems surrounding water in the country. He said water, being part of human life, was of public good and not only a social issue. He said it was important to get more money to finance water projects, adding that the idea was refreshing. He assured of his Government’s support.

Also in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nabeela Tunis, Manager, United Nations Capital Development Fund, Jaffer Machano, and the Honorary Consul General of Switzerland in Sierra Leone, Noemi Schramm.

Sierra Leone News: Bar Association Condemns ‘Selective Justice’

June 4, 2019

In what appears to be a condemnation of the recent ruling passed down by the High Court of Sierra Leone in the matter involving sixteen (former) Members of Parliament of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) has come out strongly to state that the judgment passed down ‘appears to be selective.’

The SLBA in a press release however reiterated the importance for all the parties concerned as well as all Sierra Leoneans to respect the decisions of the High Court of Sierra Leone and quoted Sub-section 1 of section 146 of the Public Elections Act No 4 of 2012 which provides aggrieved persons the right of appeal. The SLBA also urged all aggrieved parties who so desire to only use and exhaust all legal remedies available to them and called on all political parties and their supporters to remain calm, exercise restraint and maintain peace, law and order and refrain from the use of any form of violence.

For its part, the Association raised concerns regarding the orders granted in the said cases and the implications on our budding democracy, the rule of law, good governance, peace, social cohesion and national development.

Elaborating on a number of their concerns, the SLBA press release pointed out that it is important to state the provisions of section 146 of the Public Elections Act No 4 2012:

“146. (l) If the High Court determines that a candidate returned as elected was not duly elected and that the election was void, then the candidate’s seat shall become vacant from the time of the notice of decision of the High Court and if notice of appeal from that decision has been given within fourteen days, the seat shall remain vacant for the period until the determination of the Court of Appeal is given on the appeal or the appeal is abandoned.

(2) Where the question to be decided by the Court of Appeal concerns an election to or the right to remain a Member of Parliament, the Registrar of the Court of Appeal shall certify the decision in writing to the Speaker and the Electoral Commission.

(3) Where the High Court has determined that a candidate was duly returned or elected, or that the election was void, and no notice of appeal has been given against that determination within fourteen days, or where on appeal the Court of Appeal has determined that a candidate was duly returned or elected, or that the election was void, then the Speaker shall publish by notification in the Gazette whether the candidate whose return or election is questioned is duly returned or elected or whether the election is void.

(4) If the election is declared void, another election shall be held.”

Furthermore, the SLBA stated that the provisions of subsections 1, 2 and 3 of section 146 provide:

A right of appeal to the aggrieved parties to the Court of Appeal ‘within 14 days’ after a decision of the High Court and that; the seat shall remain vacant until the determination of the appeal or the appeal is abandoned; and that; where the High Court makes a determination that an election is void and no appeal is filed or the appeal is heard and the Court of Appeal determines that the election is void, then the Speaker of Parliament shall publish in the Gazette a notification of the same.

As if the whole process was stage-managed, the SLBA in its press release dated June 3rd 2019 and signed by Secretary General, Ishmael P. Mamie noted that “the ‘new’ Members of Parliament were sworn in even before the time allowed for appeal was exhausted and without any publication of the required notification in the Gazette.”

It went on state that: “The SLBA further notes that sub-section 4 of section 146 of the Public Elections Act provides that: “If the election is declared void, another election shall be held.”

The SLBA release further noted that “In the orders granted in the said petitions sub-section 4 of section 146 of the Public Elections Act 2012 appears to have been ignored, adding that “the SLBA is of the strong conviction that where an election is declared null and void or void, the provisions of sub-section 4 of section 146 of the Public Elections Act should apply. It is mandatory and as of right. A new election should be held.”

The SLBA went on to condemn the High Court’s apparent reliance on the precedent in the matter between the Hon. Sam May Lamin Macarthy and Ansu Lansana and Others C.C. 267/12, saying the facts and circumstances of that particular case are materially different from the current cases and therefore clearly distinguishable.

The SLBA noted further that over a year after the elections, not all election petition cases have been heard and that it has been alleged that in both current and previous administrations there has been a failure to assign all politically sensitive cases.

According to the press release, the SLBA also condemns the high handedness of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and urged the Sierra Leone Police to always seek to resolve conflict by peaceful and non-violent means as a first option. The SLBA in its press release reminded the SLP of the vital role that they should play in the protection of the right to life, liberty and security of the person, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Sierra Leone, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Wrongly accused of involvement in public riot… Life of a Sierra Leonean Lady in Serious Danger

June 3, 2019

By Samuel Kargbo

The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has declared Fatmata Koroma wanted for alleged involvement in a public riot that led to the infliction of serious injuries on poor citizens and loss of properties costing millions of Leones.

The alleged incident occurred immediately when the High Court of Sierra Leone, on May 31 2019, gave a ruling to remove nine Members of Parliament from the House of Representatives who used to represent the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party.

According to the Police, Fatmata Koroma is the Chairlady for Constituency 047 in the Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone but she was accused to have participated in the violence that led to the unleashing of tear gas canisters and fired live gunshots, a number of times at the party Headquarters on Old Railway Line in Freetown.

According to report, the APC is convinced that the governing Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) influenced the decision of the Court in order to clinch majority of the seats in Parliament.

As some members of the opposition APC were singing songs of victory on their way to the party office from the Court the Police started firing live shots that culminated into riot and many people sustained injuries.

Fatmata Koroma is now known to be on the run and afraid for her life. She is known to be one of the strongest supporters of the All People’s Congress Party in her community. She was reported to have fled out of the country for fear that her life is in serious danger.

Sources close to this medium alleged that Fatmata Koroma shed light on the hurdles she went through in the hands of the Police on that fateful day, and she denied playing any part in the conflict as alleged but she was chased simply because they knew her to be a supporter of the APC.

Madam Koroma was a local business woman who owns a small scale business in her community. According to residents in the community, she has helped a lot of young people.
Certain youths in her community confirmed to this Press that because of Madam Fatmata’s interventions many now have jobs and living improved standards of living. Some people narrated her state of mind before her departure especially to receive medical treatment.

It was also narrated that her family and acquaintances are presently going through hell in the hands of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) supporters. They are frequently intimidated, provoked among other things. She now fears for her safety and that of her family which is why she is very afraid of returning to the country.

Aftermath of Election Petition… Opposition member chased out

June 3, 2019

By Alpha Kamara

Aftermath of the 2018 election petition has forced one of the strong members of the opposition APC to run away to an unknown destination. Information reaching this medium have it that, one Abdulai Patty Kargbo, a strong supporter of former Honourable member of Parliament for Constituency 130 in the Western Area has been reportedly chased out by irate youth of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party.

According to eye witnesses accounts, before the election of the petitioned MP, Abdulai patty Kargbo has been an astute supporter of the former MP who won the 2012 parliamentary seat for that Constituency.

Unfortunately, during the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections, the incumbent MP by then was not given the symbol to contest for that seat, it was later given to Osman Timbo who won with a landslide victory.

Hon. Timbo was petitioned by the ruling SLPP for allege election violence, unfortunately, Hon Osman Timbo lost his seat following a High Court decision on Friday 31st May, 2019 which disqualified 10 APC Members of Parliament; with 9 of these seats going directly to the SLPP, this decision created a kind of confusion between supporters of the two main political parties in the country.

Sources within the Constituency revealed that, after the court ruling, supporters of the candidate who won the petition went on the rampage chased supporters of the losing side.

According to our sources, Abdulai Patty Kargbo was one of the SLPP supporters’ main targets, but fortunately for Kargbo the day he was to be leached, one of his friends alerted him that the SLPP supporters were on their way to his house to ransack the house and eventually leach him.

Upon hearing the unpleasant news, Kargbo allegedly escaped and sought refuge to one of his relatives outside the capital of Sierra Leone.

According to our sources, Kargbo, the threats of killing him do not only stopped at the capital, the irate supporters were said to have tracing where he was hiding, an ugly development that made him to flee the country to neighboring Guinea.

After Kargbo had left the country, his family was put under serious harassment and intimidation and some of his younger brothers were even sent to jail for a spent a considerable number of months, and during that period one of his brothers met his demise during the attempt prison break saga occurred in the country.

Our investigation revealed that, Kargbo is said to have nurse plans to also stay in Guinea but that, some SLPP supporters residing in Guinea were said to have put him under serious pressure threatening to expose his whereabouts back home, this prompted him to quit the Guinean capital, Conakry and flee to an unknown destination.

As at time of us going to press last night, the whereabouts of Abdulai Patty Kargbo is still unknown and sketchy.

We are closely monitoring the situation.