Building feminist lawyers in Sierra Leone

Mary (name changed for her protection), is a 29-year-old petty trader who sells fruit to support herself and her two young children. As a single mother whose children were abandoned by their father at birth; Mary is the sole breadwinner for her family working tirelessly to keep food on the table. Her life took a difficult turn when a neighbor, who had asked to charge her mobile phone at Mary’s house during a citywide power outage, accused her of theft after the phone went missing. Despite Mary’s efforts to resolve the matter and her offer to repay the cost of the phone, the neighbor filed a police report. Mary was arrested, detained and charged in court. All without legal representation, as she could not afford a lawyer. Although the charge was bailable, she was remanded at the Freetown Correctional Centre and separated from her children for nearly a month.

It was in detention that Mary came into contact with AdvocAid’s paralegal team, who explained her legal rights and referred her case to our Duty Counsel. On her third court appearance, AdvocAid’s lawyer stepped in, successfully securing her release on bail, and continued to represent her free of charge. Despite several adjourned hearings, the complainant never appeared in court and no evidence was presented. AdvocAid’s Duty Counsel applied for the case to be dismissed for want of prosecution, and Mary was formally discharged in March 2025.

Mary’s case highlights the harsh realities faced by many women in Sierra Leone’s justice system, women who despite their daily struggles to care for their families, are left vulnerable without access to legal support. We are proud to share that the duty counsel who handled Mary's case is a recent recipient of the Frances Wright Scholarship. She also interned at AdvocAid and is now a qualified lawyer. Her story is a testament to the work of AdvocAid champions—empowering young women to study, return, and serve their communities through our flagship campaign currently running on GlobalGiving, "Building Feminist Lawyers in Sierra Leone." Without your financial support, this dedicated duty counsel would not have realized her dream of becoming a qualified lawyer, and Mary's case might have been just one of many injustices overlooked without proper legal advocacy. Thank you for your continued support—because of you, lives are being changed in Sierra Leone.