THIRTEEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM across the country of Sierra Leone have gone back to their communities empowered to ensure legal justice for exploited victims. Providing ‘access to justice’ was the goal of this weeklong training held by WHI anti-trafficking team FAAST in partnership with the Lawyer Center for Legal Assistance (LAWCA) the seventh through 11th of December 2009.

The training equipped selected members from 13 Village Parent Groups (volunteers trained by WHI anti-trafficking team FAAST) in regions without access to paralegal support to know and understand the legal system, legislation and appropriate procedures to promote access to justice and legal follow through for victims of exploitation within their communities.

“This training empowers us to work together with police and community members to sensitize them about their rights so we can help to stop when people are used wrongly,” Sahro Fungo James, a participant from Koindu, said.

The facilitators of the training from LAWCA trained participants to be paralegals providing them with a basic understanding of investigation, evidence, procedures, court systems and six different laws pertaining to basic human rights, including the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2005, the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 and the Child Rights Act of 2007.

“Lawyers are few. In most cases people cannot get justice because there is no one within their community that has any understanding about the law and how to practically assist people who are victims,” head facilitator Festus Robin-Taylor said. “[These participants] have acquired basic knowledge to…help people in their communities understand the law and their rights. And [they now know] the processes to follow…even if there is no lawyer at hand.”

The training will provide the communities of participants with better access to justice, directly in line with the Access to Justice Initiative of the UNDP, yet at much less expense than bringing lawyers into every community, Robin-Taylor explained.

“[These paralegals] will provide communities a data base of knowledge for law actors and service personnel to give justice in realistic ways to the people simply because these paralegals…[will provide] access for victims to have their case be heard in the court of law,” co-facilitator Abdul D. Kposowa explained. “For rule of law to be seen at play there must be criteria or requirements for those in governance. Transparency of the law to the people provides accountability of the legal system.”

“Justice can be what justice is supposed to be,” he said emphatically.

Mustapha Koroma, Legal Specialist for WHI FAAST program is hopeful that this will enhance the work of VPGs to understand the appropriate procedures and therefore monitor and ensure the police are upholding the justice a victim deserves.

Intended as a training of trainers, each of the participants were empowered to take what they have learned back to their communities to train others and spread access to justice throughout the country.

Koroma told the participants, “This is your responsibility in your area, to help people have access to justice. We are here for support, but now this is your area of expertise. And now you need to go and share it and train others.”

All the facilitators agreed the participants took heed to this empowerment.

“This is very, very important,” participant Sahro Fungo James said. “We will go train others in local villages. Go village to village, telling them what are their rights. Then we will monitor and follow-up.”

“Bravo to FAAST,” he said. “They see Sierra Leone can be a changeable country. FAAST really encourages the local communities to do the right thing. They are doing a very remarkable thing—very, very vital.”