| THE EASTERN PROVINCE
REGIONAL OFFICE
The Eastern Province Regional Office located at 25 Combema Road,
Kenema commenced
Operations in September 2003. The office is a two-storey building
located very close to the most densely populated areas in Kenema. In
terms of proximity, it is close to the township and easily accessible by
clients.
It consists of office space for the Legal Practitioner, Paralegals
and Secretary. The office also has a spacious sitting room for clients.
The Eastern Province Regional Office has a very high number of
assault cases that are reported on a daily basis. The office has also
documented a good number of cases ranging from sexual offences and
domestic violence.
Funds for the establishment of this office and its staffing and
running cost until December 2005 was provided by the Open Society
Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), under its Prisoners Rights Project .
This Project deals with the provision of legal advice and for detainees
and prisoners throughout Sierra Leone.
This office serves the entire eastern region comprising of Kenema,
Kono and Kailahun.. The Province was notorious for war crimes during the
Civil Conflict.
This office is no longer functional, and in the implementation of its
programs in Kenema and the entire Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, the
centre collaborates with the Legal Assistance Center in Kenema
Major activities undertaken by the Eastern Province during the
past five years
The Prisoners Rights Project
This project was funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)
and entails legal advice and representation of indigent detainees and
Prisoners throughout Sierra Leone. Many indigent detainees and Prisoners
in the Eastern Province especially Kenema benefited from this Project
between 2003 and December 2005.
Legal Awareness Program
The Legal Education Project was launched in Kenema shortly after its
launching in Freetown in 2002, with Posters posted in all Police
Stations within the township on the rights of the Accused Persons in
Court and Nine questions about bail. The main purpose of this project
was to inform litigants and the general public that bail is free and
that no money should be paid for one to enjoy this right.
The Paralegal Training Program
In February 2004 the Centre collaborated with Global Rights
(formerly International Human Rights Law Group) to train Paralegals,
Community Based Organisation (CBO's), Paramount Chiefs, Courts Clerks
and Human Rights Monitors as paralegals. During this process, inhabitant
within the township received training to give basic legal advice in
areas where lawyers are not available. Community Based Organisation (CBO's),
Paramount Chiefs, Courts Clerks and Human Rights Monitors from Kailahun,
Segbwema, Tongo and Panguma benefited from this training.
The Juvenile Justice Project
Between August 2004 and July 2005 this Office implemented a
countrywide Juvenile Justice Project entitled, "Legal Protection of
Juveniles and the Promotion of Juvenile Justice in Sierra Leone".
This Project, kindly funded by an anonymous Foundation, consisted of the
following activities:
- An assessment of the law and practice relating to the treatment of
juvenile offenders in Sierra Leone through research, data collection
and on the spot checks.
- A consultative workshop with local experts and groups dealing with
juveniles in Sierra Leone in order to ascertain the nature of the
problems at hand and the needs of juveniles in the country.
- Legal advice and representation of juvenile offenders throughout
Sierra Leone through the Centre's Head Office and the three Regional
Offices in Makeni, Bo and Kenema.
- Workshops and consultations with law enforcement officials and
social workers dealing with juvenile offenders, with the aim of
ensuring that the law (and in particular the provisions of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)) is applied sensitively
in relation to the treatment of juvenile suspects.
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