Access to Justice for 500 Women in Sierra Leone

AdvocAid works to ensure that no woman goes through trial without representation. Our team of paralegals make daily visits to police stations, correctional centres and courts to identify women in conflict with the law without legal representation. In addition, clients are often referred to AdvocAid from partners and other organisations.

AdvocAid met *Faith, a 16-year-old girl, during a routine visit to the Freetown Remand Home. The Remand Home houses juveniles charged with an offence who are awaiting trial. Faith grew up in the provinces of Sierra Leone. When her father passed away and her mother re-married, the step-father refused to care for her and she had to leave home. Faith was taken in by an aunt, but she later ran away, explaining that the aunt had been abusing her. Faith ended up living by herself on the streets. She later became pregnant and gave birth to twins, but her boyfriend ran away and refused to help her with the newborns. Faith was reliant on what she received from friendly people she met. Life was tough and she found it unbearably hard to provide for her children as a single teenage mother living on the streets. She decided the best she could do for her twins was to take them back to the provinces and give them to her mum to care for. Faith needed to raise money to pay for the transport, but was unable to do so. To raise the funds, she stole some market goods worth SLL 250,000 (about £25) and sold them on. She used this money to travel to the provinces and leave the children with her mother.

Faith was subsequently arrested and charged with larceny. Faith’s case was first heard at the Magistrate Court, then re-allocated to the Juvenile Court. AdvocAid’s Legal Officer Josephine Hinga represented her in Court. Faith plead guilty to the offence and Ms Hinga submitted a plea to the Magistrate to consider mitigating circumstances. Faith’s case was subsequently discharged and she was released from the Remand Home.

It is with your help that AdvocAid is able to uphold the legal rights of women and girls in Sierra Leone. Without support from you, our donors, Faith would not have received legal representation in Court. On behalf of the women and girls we work with, we thank you for your generosity.

For all new recurring donors signing up this December to support AdvocAid, Global Giving will provide match-funding from month four onwards. For example, if you sign up as a recurring donor during December to donate $10 a month, Global Giving will match this donation from April onwards and AdvocAid will receive $20 a month.

Please sign up to our newsletter, via our website, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get the latest news about AdvocAid’s work.

*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities.