Post-prison Support for 300 Women in Sierra Leone

Women tend to experience mental health illnesses more frequently than men while incarcerated. Poor mental health can be a pathway and a consequence for imprisonment. In our Women Wahala Na Prison report, 40% of women said they had suffered from anxiety before their imprisonment. Incarceration can heighten anxiety and depression. We have continuously worked to provide mental health services to our clients through counselling and welfare support.

AdvocAid’s mental health counsellor continues to provide regular counselling and trauma healing services to both current incarcerated women and newly released women and girls as well as their families. These counselling sessions allow us to assist women and girls by assessing their needs and supporting them with the required care and treatment.

Mental health counselling is vital in our work to assist women and girls in Sierra Leone who come into contact with the law. Maria*, a client of AdvocAid, found it very difficult to interact with other women while incarcerated due to her condition, epilepsy.  Maria faced discrimination due to her condition. AdvocAid supported Maria through counselling to make sure she had all the necessary support before returning to her community. After continuous counselling, AdvocAid supported Maria with achieving her dream of becoming a professional teacher by paying her college fees.

We will continue to raise awareness about mental health and the criminal justice system in Sierra Leone. In order to continue monitoring Correctional Centres and providing women like Maria with counselling and welfare support, we need your continued support. On behalf of the women and girls we work with, we thank you for your generous donations to AdvocAid.