UN Envoy Praises Sierra Leone Child Rights
The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Dr Najat Maalla M’jid, has commended Chief Justice Komba Kamanda for the Judiciary’s efforts to protect children and improve their access to justice.
Dr Maalla M’jid made the commendation during a meeting with the Chief Justice and other justice sector stakeholders at the Main Law Courts in Freetown on Friday, November 13, where discussions focused on strengthening child-friendly justice and addressing violence against children.
Chief Justice Kamanda outlined the Judiciary’s interventions, including the use of the Sexual Offences Model Court and Family Court to handle cases involving children. He said specialised courts and trained judicial officers were helping ensure that cases involving minors received appropriate attention. However, he stressed that protecting children required more than judicial intervention, calling for greater involvement from parents and communities.
He identified broken homes, poor parental supervision, poverty and school dropout as factors that expose children to vulnerability and bring them into conflict with the law. The Chief Justice also raised concerns about drug use, children's exposure to online activities and the shortage of appropriate rehabilitation facilities for children in conflict with the law. He said the lack of suitable centres and alternatives to imprisonment presented challenges in ensuring that minors were treated in accordance with their age and best interests.
Justice Jamestina King highlighted efforts to extend specialised justice services beyond Freetown, particularly through the establishment of Sexual Offences Model Courts in the provinces. Presiding Magistrate of the Family Court, Margaret Rena Coker, also emphasised the need to place children's best interests at the centre of judicial decisions.
She said the Family Court handles matters beyond sexual offences, including maintenance disputes, domestic conflicts and other family-related cases. Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs Dr Isata Mahoi called for stronger community sensitisation, improved evidence management and a review of the Sexual Offences Act to address existing challenges and strengthen the prosecution of offenders.
Dr Maalla M’jid said her visit was intended to examine how Sierra Leone's justice system handles cases involving children, engage judicial authorities and identify opportunities to improve child-friendly justice. She emphasised the need for children who come into contact with the law to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
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