By Joanna Howarth | Communications Lead
This is our first report to you since we entered 2016, and kick-started the year of our 10th anniversary. We’re incredibly excited to share, throughout this year, some of our key achievements.
One of our proudest, which relates to this project which you have so kindly supported, is the number of women we have been able to provide legal aid to in recent years. Since 2010, we have worked with 3,007 women, providing them with legal assistance, education and representation. That’s 11 cases handled every week over the past five years.
This project has been a large contributor to enabling us to achieve this - thank you very much for your investment in ensuring Sierra Leone’s girls and women have access to justice.
Below is a recent case study of a woman we have supported, thanks to your support.
Sia (name changed to protect her identify) is 22 years old and lives in Kissy – a poor area of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. In late 2015, she was arrested and detained at a police station by the order of a Chief.
Sia had been detained for the offence of Disorderly Behaviour. She had allegedly been arguing with a neighbour when the Chief intervened, asking them both to make peace. Sia complied, but her neighbour later went to the Chief and paid him a bribe to carry favour with him. Subsequently, the Chief ordered Sia’s arrest and detention for refusal to pay a fine of 150,000 Leones (about $30) which he had imposed on her.
Sia was in detention for two days before AdvocAid’s paralegal conducted routine monitoring at the police station and became aware of her case.
Tragically, in Sierra Leone, a high number of people suffer from the unlawful use of power by Chiefs – AdvocAid commonly comes across cases where people have been levied a fine, in relation to cases in which the Chief has no jurisdiction to apply such fines.
AdvocAid’s Paralegal met with the Community Chairman (also the Chief’s Clerk), requesting that he and the Chief report to the station to settle the matter. AdvocAid’s Paralegal cautioned the Chief about his actions, confirming that it is illegal for the Chief to levy such fines. Our interventions were successful with Sia being released after three days of being detained at the Police Station. AdvocAid’s Paralegal also ensured the Chief refunded the 150,000 Leones he had taken from Sia’s sister (which he had said was needed for Sia’s release).
Sia commented that: “AdvocAid’s Paralegal has created the awareness that the Chiefs do not have the legal right to fine, and people are only answerable to the General Law. Such awareness should be extended to other women who are unlawful treated by Chiefs.”
AdvocAid is currently working to see that Chief’s misuse of authority be put to an end and that more women know that it is illegal for a Chief to impose a fine.
We are incredibly grateful for your support of this project, enabling our Paralegals to continue ensuring women like Sia are not negatively affected due to a lack of legal knowledge. There remains a huge need for Paralegal’s to continue providing free legal assistance and education – if you’re able to make a regular donation to AdvocAid’s work, we’d be extremely grateful. Thank you in advance.
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