The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote a just society for all persons in Sierra Leone. CARL monitors institutions of accountability – specifically, the judiciary and the Anti-Corruption Commission. It advocates for institutional transparency.
Allieu Vandi Koroma, Senior Court Monitor CARL, giving an overview of the Sierra Leone Legal System, at a workshop for CSOs in Kenema
And, it offers capacity building and empowerment trainings for citizens. To further our goal of building the capacity of civil society and judicial officials, CARL has partnered with Trocaire in a project entitled “Enhancing Access to
Justice and Rule of Law in Sierra Leone.” Specifically, the goal of the project is to increase awareness of, and improve the application of, the laws and human rights standards applicable to discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence against women. CARL provides numerous outreach activities to achieve this goal. It offers ongoing trainings for local civil society activists and Local Court officials. It holds chiefdom town hall meetings and participates in radio broadcasts. And, CARL provides ongoing monitoring of the activity of the judiciary in the regions where the project operates. Trocaire has enabled all of this activity with a yearly grant of 35,000 Euros.
In furtherance of this project, last month, CARL completed one set of the training sequence. Two trainings were conducted in Makeni and two in Bo – one for civil society activists and another for Local Court officials in each city. The goal of each day was to increase participants’ knowledge of gender justice, particularly the three Gender Acts. CARL also attempted to give civil society activists tools to utilize in becoming effective court monitors.
The sessions were led by experienced court professionals. Each day was structured similarly. In the morning, the District’s Local Court Supervisor / State Prosecutor (one person serves in both positions) led a discussion on the structure of the formal court system and explained the interaction between the Local Courts and formal courts. Then, in the afternoon, the Magistrate reviewed key provisions of the Gender Acts. CARL staffers also set up interactive activities to begin the day to ensure that the participants felt free to contribute to the discussion and could network within the group. And, CARL presented on “how-to” on court monitoring to the civil society activists.
Overall, the sessions were a success. Turnout was high, over twenty civil society organizations participated in the sessions and most of the Local Courts empowered around Makeni and Kenema sent at least one representative to the trainings. Police prosecutors also joined in the sessions. Audience participation was great. Perhaps the most powerful part of the trainings were the question and answer sessions.
Local Court Officers, listening to a presentation on Customary law and gender during a training session conducted by CARL in Makeni
Obviously, human rights monitors had a lot of questions for the Magistrate and State Prosecutor. And, Local Court officials were eager to find out more specifics about the laws they must honor, even if they are able to use customary law in their proceedings. Because these groups often work in some opposition – human rights monitors versus the Magistrate or Local Court officials versus the Local Courts Monitor – the discussions were vibrant and clarified important information for all involved.
Every participant and facilitator acknowledged the many challenges that exist in enforcing the Gender Acts. Yet, everyone was still encouraged at the end of the day. All of the participants shared some characteristics. Each wanted to work together. And, both the civil society representatives and the Local Court officials stated a desire to gain more information about the specific Gender Laws to help them ensure that they are enforced more fully. In Kenema even, the civil society organizations notified us that they have formed a regional coalition. This coalition submits weekly reports to the Human Rights Commission, but needs support in following up with offices in Freetown. This is an area that CARL looks forward to exploring and supporting the coalition’s work.
Despite the excitement and knowledge gained from the day’s sessions, all participants acknowledged that there are many sizable challenges that affect their work. Even the Magistrates and Local Court Supervisor / State Prosecutors were open about the challenges that they face. The civil society activists indicated that: Trials take too long. Few people are aware of their legal rights, especially those without education, a lot who live in rural areas. Transportation to court and to the police is expensive and can make these institutions inaccessible. Medical fees continue to be charged to victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Women are not always willing to assert their rights because of customary norms.
In response to these concerns, the Magistrates and Local Court Supervisors / State Prosecutors indicated that more sensitization is needed, particularly in rural communities. And, they indicated that transportation is a problem for them too. In fact, there is only on State Prosecutor for each District outside of the Western Area. Because he handles the prosecution of all major crimes, cases at High Court can end up having major scheduling problems. In part, this explains some of the reasons for such lengthy trials. In any case, CARL and all of the civil society representatives at the trainings agreed that the trial length problem deserves much more attention. The Local Court officials were eager to learn about their responsibilities under the Gender Acts. In large part, Local Court officials must learn to pass such cases on to the Magistrate. The jurisdictional mandate of the Local Courts does not encompass many of the cases that will be governed by the Gender Acts.
However, it is more difficult for the Local Courts to pass up on cases than it may seem. Courts derive their legitimacy from people’s belief in them. If the Local Courts tell most people that come to them that they cannot hear their case, it will only frustrate those people who might not understand what the jurisdiction of the Court really is. Also, the formal courts are inaccessible to many people, due to transportation, fear, or other reasons. So, individuals might be more comfortable to bring their complaint to the Local Court. For this reason, among many others, the sensitization sessions are important and valuable tools. If communication between the Local Court officials and the Magistrate Court is strengthened, people will not have to experience delays or difficulty in moving into the appropriate court for their claim.
Local Monitor, during CARL’s training for CSOs and CBOs in Kenema
Increased communication between legal authorities and civil society organizations along with better service provision by these same groups is needed. To that end, CARL, with the continued assistance of Trocaire, hopes to continue to engage with civil society organizations and Local Court officials throughout Sierra Leone. By having informative and frank discussions, CARL believes it will help build the capacity of local civil society organizations and build networks between all of those involved in protecting human rights in our communities.
Last Updated on Thursday, 18 August 2011 18:34
