October 2, 2017 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
In their effort to ensuring credible, free, fair and peaceful elections in the forthcoming 2018 general elections, the Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone, on Friday, 29th September, 2017, organized a two- day workshop for their staff and partners in elections, conflict, prevention, legal education and representation for supporting the 2018 elections.
Speaking at the well-attended capacity building workshop funded by the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) at the Civil Service Training College at State Avenue in Freetown, Executive Director of Legal Aid Board, Madam Claire Carlton-Hanciles said special thanks to UNDP for providing the support for her institution to train its staff and partners nationwide for enhancing credible, free, and violent free 2018 elections.
She said the government established the Legal Aid Board in 2012 with the objective of providing legal education, legal representation and advice to indigent citizens, and that since their operationalization, they have been very instrumental in providing free legal services to over twenty thousand citizens and foreigners as well.
She said as the country is preparing to host elections, the exercise was extremely important to the Board’s clients in ensuring that through their work, they contribute to ensuring free, fair and transparent nonviolent elections.
She said by organizing the workshop they will be able to provide effective legal education and representation for clients in the districts through their community advisory bureau’s and their trusted partners.
she said the specific aim of the project nationwide is to provide free legal representation for citizens in case of being victims of election related violence, engage in utilizing electoral alternative dispute resolution in addressing electoral disputes, to provide legal representation for citizens especially women who may be affected by violence or any criminality, and to provide counselling’s through its process of dispute resolution for election violence related cases and others.
In her statement, the United Nations Development Programme , Governance Team Leader, Anntte Nalwoga said the capacity building workshop for LAB staff and partners on elections conflict prevention, legal education and representation was timely for supporting the March, 2018 elections.
She said Sierra Leone has made considerable advances towards lasting peace since the end of the civil war through the support from its international and national development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme.
She said the overall project will provide robust support to promote access to justice for all through strengthening both the formal justice systems and empowering marginalized communities throughout Sierra Leone including women and youth.
Also speaking, Gibril Sesay, Electoral Commissioner North, said he was happy to be part of the capacity building workshop, and that the workshop was important because it will help make easy their work and also promote peace in the electoral process.
He disclosed that there are lot of issues in the electoral process including malpractice, and that they already have over one thousand five hundred suspects alleging to have been involved in malpractice during the registration process and they are only looking for further evidence to prosecute those people.