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Sierra Leone Civil Servants Appeal for Five Months Backlog Salaries

His Excellency Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio

By Penpusher Sesay

Life has become unbearable, frustrating, disappointing, hopeless for certain civil servants whom have waited patiently for five months now without receiving salaries from the Government. It all started during a last year verification exercise of all government workers conducted by the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) geared towards weeding out ghost workers and put a stop to those that are receiving salaries from two or more sides from the same Consolidated Revenue Fund.

During the exercise they discovered that there was a mismatch of names. That is to say the information which is on a person’s voter ID is quite different from what is mentioned in the Government voucher or Accountant General’s office. For instance in the voter ID a person’s name could be Saidu Conteh but in the payroll he is answering to the name Mohamed Kamara.

This situation is becoming appalling for these affected civil servants who are still working and serving the government zealously and genuinely with broken and stressful minds.

Since May 2019, these affected Government workers cut across the teaching profession, the Army, the Sierra Leone Police, Prisons  also affecting medical practitioners, and host of others who are eagerly waiting and anticipating for grace to befall them. But it seems as if their hopes and anticipations are hinged on mosquito’s legs.
The suffering of these affected workers keep on piling and becomes worsen as the day passes by.

According to one affected soldier who pleaded for anonymity he said t they are planning to meet the Father of the Nation, His Excellency Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, to appeal to him to put smile to their wrinkled faces.

Still and all, they’re appealing for their plight to be addressed and paid without fail by the end of October 2019 as they are perishing in silence.

To The Sierra Leone Police and The Judiciary… More Needs To Be Done To Decongest Prisons

COMMENTARY

By Amin Kef Sesay

We should sympathize with our hard working judges and magistrates. They have a very tough job trying many cases that should have been settled by the police in police stations instead of wasting a lot of resources to bring minor cases of felony and civil infractions to court.

Resolving most issues of crime and violence is the responsibility of a sick and corrupt police investigation and prosecution system. Overworking magistrates and judges leave the door wide open to allegations of corruption against them as those with money seek to get justice through the back door.

To reduce over-crowding in our prisons which are mostly filled with remands prisoners that cannot secure bail, one wants to advocate more nuanced approaches to prosecution and arrests.

For example, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution where it believes there is a genuine case to answer should not delay in serving indictments. Imagine a suspect being in remand for up to one year and more because he/she has no indictment. That surely is injustice, as justice delayed is justice denied.

Prosecutors don’t convict. Judicial officers do. The role of prosecutors is to present cases and even support an acquittal where the interests of justice would be served by doing so. Not to pursue a conviction at all costs.

Thus, in decongesting our prisons, we recommend that the police consider arrest and detention only when it is essential to do so as a way to free up magistrates and courts to finalize trials.

Obviously, there is the need for specially trained individuals to manage every part of the process, from investigating officers and prosecutors to judges and interpreters. Training these officials specifically on recurrent crimes will allow them to handle these cases with the expertise, sensitivity, professionalism and special competence they deserve.

The criminal justice system seems to deal only with the symptoms or offshoots of what really lies at the heart of a deeply troubled society. Many times, by the time police and courts take on these cases, society has already failed their victims.

On the issue of gender based violence, whose perpetrators correctional center officials now say top the list of life in prison convicts, imposing firm sentences does not seem to be a major deterrent. There are a suite of measures designed to improve the judicial system’s handling of such cases. These include massive public awareness campaign to discourage committing of it.

The stress on judicial officers from hearing traumatizing cases like rape, murder, difficult divorce matters by aggrieved litigants requires the introduction of a judicial wellness or stress-management program.

When it comes to the composition of the bench, there are still too few female magistrates and judges, particularly at senior levels in the higher courts.

There is also the need to introduce Labour and Land Claims courts.

Not all the delays in finalizing cases are due to magistrates and judges. We simply need more magistrates and judges in all the jurisdictions across the country, the main cause of suspects spending long time in remand custody.

Court premises need urgent repairs. Some of them do not even have toilets and rest rooms for officials and the public.

There is also the crying need for digital upgrading of the judicial system.  Smart-phones and iPads would then be the tools we use to check on the performance of any of our courts anytime.

 

As Albert Academy Sierra Leone Celebrates 115 Anniversary… JFK Inspires Pupils

Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara

By Foday Moriba Conteh

On Friday 4th October, 2019, as part of the Albert Academy 115 year’s anniversary celebrations, the renowned legal luminary, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, succinctly delivered a very motivational speech on the Theme: “Moving from the Brink to the Brim of Academic Excellence” at the School compound on Berry Street in Freetown.

JFK, as he is popularly called, maintained that the theme: “Moving from the Brink to the Brim of Academic Excellence” is timely and interesting saying it is self-evident that the ‘brink’ is present and the ‘brim’ is just an aspiration, adding that the brim of academic excellence is the state of being exceptional.

“We live in a society obsessed with being exceptional. Whether it is as workers, parents, students, lovers, cooks, we are expected to be outstanding. We must strive to be the best employees, craft out an outstanding body, have amazing relationships, all while being exceptionally happy. Even the most ordinary institutions also are expected to be nothing less than excellent. Companies want to be “world class”; schools have become “academies of excellence”. Being good enough is seen as simply not good enough,” he philosophized.

He said that at a moment like this when education faces attacks from multiple fronts, it can be helpful to step back and address a central question: where did we go wrong? He stated that back in the days, when Sierra Leone was known as the ‘Athens of West Africa’, education was fit for purpose.

“The structure of the curricular then could get you a job even with a secondary school leaving certificate,” he said adding that his father who happened to be a student of the class of 1948 at the Albert Academy was able to secure a job as Station Manager in Moyamba District, with just a leaving certificate, “The quality and value of the certificate then, is my reference point and not the availability of a job,” he underscored.

He disclosed that in today’s education, a university degree cannot even guarantee a secured job, again, not necessarily because of availability, but rather, the inability to perform at an expected level.

“Our educational system could be likened to a chariot on two wheels, academic excellence and social purpose. It seems to me, we have lost one of the wheels, the social purpose level. Education should have a social purpose in addition to striving for academic excellence. The current obsession with academic excellence, one can argue, has altered our idea of higher education, and the current focus on status has perpetual inequality and limited social mobility,” he underscored.

He stressed that for far too long, successive Governments have invested in education, under the unquestioned assumption that improved test scores were clear evidence that their investments have paid off.

JFK argued that mastery of the basic primary or secondary school curriculum is not the best means for improving life chances and alleviating poverty in the country. He furthered that the model is broken, investing interventions that produce the highest test scores is no longer a valid approach for allocating scarce educational Leones or the scarce time available for the development of young minds.

Convincingly, he suggested that it time to seek out the interventions that lead to the greatest social and economic impact for the poor.

He ended by saying that to attain the brim of excellence; our approach ought to include three elements essential to high-quality education:

  1. Entrepreneurship should include financial and marketplace literacy and it should focus on helping children learn to manage money and market transactions that will enable them to identify and pursue market opportunities, teaching them workplace skills to improve productivity and effectiveness.
  2. Health Education should also include essential health behaviors, the importance and consequences of healthy behaviors, and the strategies for employing them for children can share with their families and incorporate into everyday life.
  3. Empowerment: to be a student-driven approach that provides practical learning in a supportive environment and includes helping children develop critical thinking skills and the self-efficacy necessary to put them into action.

He said that content and activities such as those that enable students to learn and practice workplace skills and attitudes like delegation, negotiation, collaboration, and planning- opportunities that are rarely available to them outside of their families must be stressed. He added that perhaps more importantly, those activities will enable them to see themselves in idea-generation, problem-solving, decision-making and leadership roles.

 

New Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to UK bade farewell to President Bio

Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, Sierra Leone’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and President Dr. Julius Maada Bio

By Alim Jalloh

Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, Sierra Leone’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland on Friday October 4 2019 bade farewell to His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at State House.

He thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the Government and people of Sierra Leone as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland and promised to faithfully serve the nation. He said he was particularly aware of the challenges ahead but assured he is ready for the task to move the New Direction forward.

In his response, President Bio said that the new High Commissioner was taking up a very difficult task at a time when the country is going through a lot of image cleansing at the international scene and trying to woo investors to return to the country. He said that his Government is looking at economic diplomacy to attract the best and credible investors to come to the country and also assured of his support at all times. He wished him well in his new assignment.

The new High Commissioner is a retired academic from the University of Sierra Leone with years of service as teacher, researcher and administrator. Before his recent appointment, Dr. Manyeh was also Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources.

 

 

Big Sister Sierra Leone Season 2 Gains Momentum

By Foday Moriba Conteh

It has been reliably learnt that ZedZee Multi Media Consult and Orange SL will be presenting Big Sister Season 2 with the theme “No Woman, No Cry”.  Based on feedbacks we received, the last all-female show in 2018 registered a huge success with a viewership of over 7 million in and out of the country.

Furthermore, the participants in that show got endorsement from celebrities from different parts of the world and brought out typically Sierra Leonean behavior patterns and the show offered the opportunity for indigenes and outsiders to take stock of those patterns.

This medium understood that “Big Sister Season 2 is taking the race farther afield, with seven countries, namely Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone providing scouting platforms. 25 women from any part of the globe will be selected in these scouting countries to compete for the cash prize, $50,000.

“This forthcoming show will last for seven weeks, during which every week will see the crowning of a new Mammy Na Power after a leadership struggle called the Madam Yoko Drama,” one of the organizers intimated this medium furthering how the setting will depict an African ambience, in a way that glosses the continent’s rich heritage.

She disclosed that women of all nationalities may apply only they would have to audition in person in one of the scouting countries maintaining how applications and auditions can also be made online and on our Mobile App, especially for applicants from outside the scouting countries.

In an exclusive interview with Zainab Sheriff, who heads ZedZee Multi-Media, she revealed how local and international partners have joined ZedZee and Orange to bring the show to home screens, radios as well as computers and phones through the Big Sister website and Mobile App. She informed that forms will be sold at Le100,000 or $10 at various locations across the country.

The charming and ideas-packed Zainab Sheriff succinctly stated:

“Empowering young women for self-advancement is the impulse behind the Big Sister empowerment show, and Season 2 is meant to propel that energy a little further. The show gives the aspiring women the platform to be seen and be heard, in a way that entertains and educate as much as it empowers.

It inspires the notion that women should stay in the loop despite their material circumstances. No woman should remain condemned to the oppressive conditions of modern day society, hence the theme: No Woman! No Cry.”

She ended up saying Big Sister Season 2 will be launched at the Bintumani Conference Centre on 25th October, 2019.

NP-SL is the Power House of the Nation

National Petroleum (NP) SL Limited

By Amin Kef Sesay

One can really imagine what life on earth would look like without petroleum products. Understandably, scientific and technological means should have been devised to find alternative ways of fitting into what products like petrol, diesel, kerosene, gas and other lubricants are capable of doing, maybe within the realm of renewable energy.

Fortunately, mankind is blessed with the availability of crude oil, in some parts of the world, which can be refined to produce various end products that are collectively considered as fuel.

These are what we use to power our thermal engines to generate electricity as we do the same with generators that are used in homes, offices and business entities.

Fuel is utilized in our cars, vans, Lorries, trucks to convey people and goods from one locality to another. We use kerosene for various domestic purposes as well as utilize other petroleum products for their intended purposes. The significance of the availability of petroleum products cannot be overemphasized as they are inextricably linked to continued human existence.

One important entity in this country that is not only importing petroleum products but also marketing them is the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL-Ltd) which has been doing such transactions remarkably well to such an extent that there have been rare cases when shortages had occurred but that in itself could not lie squarely on the shoulders of the company but rather as a result of external forces that may be beyond the control of NP-SL-Ltd.

Towards maintaining that goal, the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited, NP (SL-Ltd) is tirelessly working round the clock, engaging oil producing companies in business discussions, to always ensure that supply flows in timely.

Through concerted efforts the company has been making it quite possible for stocks to last over periods of time in order to avert the occurrence of shortages. Interestingly, NP-SL is not a Government entity or appendage; no politician has a share in it as its shareholders are mere ordinary Sierra Leoneans, starting with 35 of them who some time ago bought shares from the Government out of their end of service benefits to establish what today has become a towering entity (NP-SL) to reckon with in the business landscape.

As had been fallaciously propagated by certain ill-motivated persons, who do not mean well for this country, that there are certain politicians that have vested interests in the company, our investigations have proven otherwise.

NP-SL is a 100% indigenous company to the letter and it has weathered various storms that could have dwarfed it or left it to extinct save therapeutic intermittent Managerial injections that keep it upright and on the right course.

Demonstrating its dogged commitment to the socio-economic development of the country the company is maintaining a policy of strictly adhering to the Local Content Policy ensuring that it has a maximum of indigenous staff in its employ. What this actually means is empowering our brothers and sisters to access employment opportunities and reduce poverty.

As a matter of fact some members of staff continue to benefit from various trainings that have afforded them the conduit to imbibe useful skills to efficiently carry out certain tasks.

If we are counting the number of companies that have upheld the Local Content Policy, without any iota of doubt, NP-SL could be seen at the top. This intrinsic nationalistic posture of the company runs through and it is a sine qua non for overall national development.

If such a compliance rate should have been followed by other local companies, willingly, without any pressure from the relevant authorities then indisputably this country should have been miles away in its development trajectory.

It has been made abundantly clear that the way and manner in which customers are cared for in terms of talking to them, making them feel at ease go a long way in attracting them or gaining their attention. Such should be done sincerely in order to make them more important. NP-SL for a very long period now has mastered that art and executing it so well which definitely is paying dividends.

1st for Customer Care was earned by the company because it has been widely acclaimed by many for solidly executing such. In its drive to optimize customer satisfaction the company went the extra mile to install calibrated pumping machines which are not only modern but trustworthy, as opposed to old pumping machines which certain unscrupulous individuals used to cheat unassuming customers.

This is helping in holding customers’ confidence high assuring them that they are dealing with a very transparent entity. The friendliness of NP’s pump attendants is very impressive and they are always there to timely respond to various concerns.

Still within the purview of 1st for Customer Care, the company is always in position to enter into payment plans with its reliable and dependable customers including Ministries, Departments and Agencies for supplied fuel and lubricants as long as all the necessary modalities have been put in place.

When cognizance is taken of the fact that some of these institutions receive intermittent budgetary allocations then such an arrangement is very significant. Its significance in real terms borders on functional continuity of those institutions as they will be assured of supplies of petroleum products in as much as they keep honoring their obligations.

For those who have not tried NP Gas for the first time it is now time to give it a try. Designed in sizable varying cylinders and sold at various NP Filling Stations, this cooking device has been rated as one of the best that is on offer for sale. NP Gas is safe, user friendly and portable. Trying it will spur you to recommend it to others.

NP Smart Card is now in vogue and is one of the latest technological devices used to purchase petroleum products. Using it has attendant advantages as evident in procuring fuel at any time of the day even during times when monies could not be accessed from banks. It is secured, easy to use and very quick. It is now trending.

To crystallize proposed projects into tangible realities on the ground, Government needs the required financial resources to effectively do so and one sure way is from collection of taxes which is the mandate of the National Revenue Authority (NRA).  NP is one big tax payer to Government and it has been doing so timely.

The company’s presence in Guinea, Liberia, The Gambia and Ivory Coast shows that it is around for serious business. It is an embodiment of serious mindedness on the part of Sierra Leoneans who believe that what man can do then man can still do. It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubts that NP-SL is the power-house that powers power. It is the incontestable power house of the nation.

Our cars are moving, our NP Gas keeps serving us, lives are being changed in communities, employment opportunities are offered and above all the nation is benefitting all becoming possible simply because NP is vibrantly operating. The company is indeed seriously contributing to the socio-economic growth of the country and many are appreciative of all what it is doing in effecting positive changes.

Sierra Leone ACC Secures Conviction Against Former NRA Officer

By Brima Sannoh

According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) the former National Revenue Authority Officer, Ms Kepiatu Alghali on the 2nd October, 2019, pleaded guilty to Misappropriation of Public Funds, contrary to Section 36(1), and Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence contrary to Section 128(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008, respectively at the High Court Holden in Freetown, presided over by the Hon. Justice Cosmotina Jarret.

Hon.  Jarret ordered Ms. Alghali to either pay the sum of Three Hundred Million Leones (Le300,000,000) for both counts, or serve a jail term of three years. She also made a Restitution order in the sum of Two Hundred And Twenty-Seven Million Leones (Le227,000,000). Therefore, Ms. AlghaliL should pay back to the State a total sum of Five Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million Leones (Le527,000,000), following her guilty plea.

Both fine and restitution sums, as ordered by Justice Jarrett, are to be respectively paid not later than the 1st November 2019 and 1st December 2019. Furthermore, she was ordered to surrender her travelling documents to the Acting Master and Registrar of the High Court of Sierra Leone, and bail was accordingly granted.

The public may recall that on 12th September 2019, the ACC  filed an indictment against Dr. Sarah Finda Bendu the former Executive Director, Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Mr. Victor Labor, former Procurement Manager, SLRSA, and Ms. Alghali, on various counts of corruption charges relating to a corrupt scheme that led to misappropriation of funds at the SLRSA. Whilst Ms. Alghali has pleaded guilty, Dr. Bendu, and Mr. Labor  pleaded NOT GUILTY in the same matter and the trial against the latter two will continue.
Bail was also granted to Dr. Bendu and Mr. Victor Labor, and the matter adjourned to the 21st October 2019.

In that regard, the Commission advised all public officers who are in control of public resources to comply with laid down laws and procedures in the handling and disbursement of same. The Commission was represented by CALVIN MANTSEBO Esq, and the accused was represented by Mrs. FATMATA SORIE and I.P. MAMMIE Esq.

 

 

 

 

For Touristic attraction… Sierra Leone National Tourist Board Cleans Lumley, Aberdeen Beaches

By Amin Kef Sesay

In order to enhance a good facelift of the country’s beaches along Western area, the National Tourist Board (NTB) on Thursday 3th October 2019 carried out massive cleaning exercises along the Lumley and Aberdeen Beaches.

Speaking during the exercise, General Manager of NTB, Fatmata Abie Osagie, disclosed that it is part of their mandate giving them the authority to ensure that the country’s beaches are clean and safe which she said could be ideal for tourists attraction and good for the economy and by extension the nation.

“We are not only cleaning, but undertaking activities that will improve the Tourism Industry. We want the President to succeed in diversifying the economy and tourism is a key sector in doing that. Research undertaken by UNWTO shows that Sierra Leone  receives only a 3% share in tourism receipts and a 5% share in worldwide arrivals. However, UNWTO forecasts show that by 2030 the number of international arrivals in Sierra Leone is expected to increase significantly due to positive steps taken by the Ministry and the NTB,” she maintained.

She stated that NTB, under the leadership of Dr. Memunatu Pratt, has improved on diversity of tourism products: Pristine and high quality beaches, hills and biodiversity , Unspoiled natural scenery , Richness of cultural heritage and historical background , Geographic proximity to market ,Navigable rivers for water-based exploration, Relatively secured environment , Wealth of social capital , Hospitality and friendliness of citizenry among others.

Osagie stated even though they face serious challenges in combating the see weeds that intermittently surfaces at the beaches yet they are committed to undertaking periodic cleaning  exercises.

She further revealed how they are lobbying for funding secure in order to get more man power and equipment to undertake activities geared towards making sure that our beaches are safe and friendly.

According to her, the Tourism Act 1990 which aims at making new and better provisions for the promotion and development of tourism in Sierra Leone, is now outdated and they are currently working on a review that will match current global trends.

She stated that most of the rubbish within the city is deposited in drainages and ends up in the sea causing sanitation problems at our beaches lamenting how such destroys tourism. She advised Sierra Leoneans to refrain from such a bad practice.

 

 

Tourism Minister & Golden Tulip Boost Tourism in Sierra Leone

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Tourism as they say is a no sitting home business, rather, you taking it to the door steps of  the international and regional tourist generating regions, with a better and stronger pull to effect change within the tourism  sector with a smart tourism governance approach and will.

In this year’s French Tourism Fair, Sierra Leone as a nation shows an active positioning and a come-back  for business with the core mandate to reach out and take our share from the tourism cash flow at international and regional levels.

As the inaugural and launch ceremony took place at the upper pavillion in Hall 1A, where networking, acquaintances and business ideal unfolds, Sierra Leone’s Tourism Minister garner more likes and attentions as she pushes and continue to raise the destination profile using B2B toolkits and destination management sales tact (DMST) to take safe ride in presenting her country’s tourism potentials as more than ever before.

It will ponder your thoughts that in day one, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs undertake the active moves:

Engagement of Tour Operators
Meeting new Airlines
Establishing initial contacts with Tourism Secretary of Guinea Bissau as a new entry
Taking the VOA visa on arrival to international destinations
More cultural exchanges
More open meetings

With her team of experts  the newly appointed Chairman of Tourism-Parliamentary Oversight Committee Hon. Mohamed Sheriff Rahman-Coker also has been proactive as he  meet  other counterparts in pushing his country’s tourism and investment opportunities.

Tourism is Life Tours and Golden Tulip Essential Hotel  giving and unending support from the private sector as  tourism development and promotion requires more hands to tell the right stories and push the right ideas. These two companies have so far demonstrated willingness to support by joining the team to Paris.

The two representatives  Mr. Alieya A. Kargbo the Travel Director for the fastest growing tour operating company has been helpful and professional in his area of meeting with Cruise ships, airlines, transportation companies and others. While Mr. Rahul of Golden Tulip Essentials is taking his hotel to other tour package developers for special concession and allotment.

 

 

 

1st Referral Partnership Meeting for HRC Sierra Leone Commissioners Ends

By Ishmael Turay

In the continuation of its mandate and to capacitate itself, Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) on Tuesday 1st October, 2019 held its first referral partnership meeting at its Head quarters’ Conference room on Tower Hill in Freetown. This is HRCSL’s 8th referral partnership meeting since its last meeting in November 21st, 2018.

HRCSL collaborates with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies/Organization that are most suited to address certain complaints brought to the Commission. These complaints are sent to these partners for redress and are monitored regularly through effective collaboration born out from the referral partnership forum and policy.

The referral partnership forum had endorsed during its second meeting its referral partnership policy and its term of reference. The policy seeks to solidify its relationship with partner institutions and establish effective partnership with them in order to synergize the efforts of collaboration in dealing with referred cases through its quarterly referred partnership fora.

Welcoming the partners, the Director of Complaints Investigations and Legal Services, Doris Sonsiama said that the aim of the partnership meeting was to give and obtain information from the different partners on cases referred to them.  She also mentioned that the provision of that relevant information from partners on referred cases would greatly help in the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.

In her opening remarks, the Chairperson of HRCSL, Mrs. Patricia Narsu Ndenema whilst applauding the collaboration from the referral partners,  welcomed the strategic partners to its first referral meeting since appointed five months ago as Commissioners.

She said “the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone requires the partnership of all partners in the protection and promotion of Human Rights issues in Sierra Leone.” She further noted that “there has been positive relationship with the Criminal Investigations Department, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others as the main aim is to have a forum for learning and communicating with all partners to ensure the culture of human rights prevails in the country”.

Continuing, the Chairperson said the HRCSL were ready to champion the fight to protect and promote human rights in the country especially in the promotion and protection of women and children’s rights. She highlighted that “it is in that regard that we have decided to establish the Directorate of Gender and Children’s Affairs from a Unit within the Commission”.

The rationale, she went on, is to ensure that women and children’s rights issues are treated with utmost priority and urgency. This will also open the relationship to work with the Children`s Commission. In addition, the Chairperson says as a Commission they will be working with the Ministry of Basic Education in the monitoring process to ensure that the Free Quality School Education is achievable. “Therefore, every partner is important to the Commission” she concluded.

Updates, human rights issues, feedback and report on cases the Commission had referred to it partners and those referred to the Commission were discussed.

The Executive Secretary of HRCSL, Joseph Kamara encouraged all partners to promptly respond to referred cases forwarded to them by the human rights commission.  Commissioner, Simitie Lavaly, emphasized that “it is the mandate of the commission to look into actions of public officials in relations to human rights and we want the public to get redress when they come to the commission.”
The meeting ended with the firmed commitment of all strategic partners in playing equal efforts in the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.

The referral partners that attended the meeting were the National Commission for Persons with Disability, the Independent Media Commission, the Sierra Leone Police/CID/Transnational Organized Crime Unit, the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Independent Police Partnership Board, the Political Parties Registration Commission, the Children Commission, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Legal Aid Board, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Tertiary Education, The Anti- Corruption Commission and L.A.W.Y.E.R.S.

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