Gender Unit
Juvenile Justice Unit
Litigation Unit
Transitional Justice Unit

Freetown Office
Bo Office
Makeni Office
Kenema Office

Projects
Internships
Publications
Support LAWCLA
Front Page

The Centre established its Northern Province Regional Office based in Makeni in November 2002. This office was established due to a grant from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Its establishment was lauded by the Paramount Chief of and his subjects as a blessing to the Chiefdom.

The office is situated at no.7 Lady's Mile Makeni, approximately fifty yards from The Makeni Magistrate Court. This office serves the entire northern region comprising of other big towns like Magburaka, Port Loko, Kabala and Kambia

Major activities undertaken by the Northern Province Regional Office during the past five years

The Prisoners Rights Project
The Prisoners' Rights Project, funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), benefited Prisoners and Detainees in the region as LAWCLA worked to decongest detention centres within the township and its environs.

The Legal Awareness Project
In July 2002 LAWCLA launched the Legal Awareness Project, which also benefited the Northern Province especially Makeni. Posters were displayed in conspicuous sites within police stations and Courtrooms educating people about their rights to bail.

The Paralegal Training Program
In February 2004 the Centre implemented a joint project with Global Rights (formerly the International Human Rights Law Group) for the training of paralegals countrywide; paralegals within the regional office were trained in building their capacity in the execution of their official functions. Two paralegals in the Makeni office received training and awarded certificates accordingly. Community Based Organisation (CBO's), Paramount Chiefs, Courts Clerks and Human Rights Monitors from Kabala, Kambia, Port Loko and its environs 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.
• Advocacy for reform of the laws relating to the treatment of juveniles in Sierra Leone through quarterly publications and the lobbying of Parliamentarians.