By Hajaratu Kalokoh
The Advocacy Movement Network (AMNet) has trained 35 legal practitioners on issues surrounding human trafficking. The training, whose beneficiaries comprise magistrates and prosecutors, centered establishing common knowledge around human trafficking as it relates to their work within the judiciary.
The training which took place on Monday at Country Lodge, also included four Parliamentarians.
The organizers said it was geared towards creating understanding and related regulations on prosecuting human trafficking in the country.
Head of Program at AMNet, Samuel Bangura, said parliamentarians, magistrates and prosecutors were all important stakeholders in the process of decision making on the fight against human trafficking. He added that getting the support of these people in forming and implementing regulations was crucial.
“Our mission is to build strong cooperative networks for CSOs, MDAs, community structures and other actors to enhance an understanding of their respective roles and relationships and become motivated to act,” Bangura stated.
He added: “All three categories (Magistrate, Prosecution and Parliament) are esteemed specialists in enacting regulations and dispensing justice related to human trafficking.”
AMNet is a non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone, establishment in 2006, which works on three strategic areas: women’s empowerment, child protection and youth development.
The organization’s mission is to deepen people’s understanding about human rights and social justice as a means for them to reflect on their own lives and use their skills to make informed choices as agents of social change.
The urge to work around human trafficking has been driven by the vulnerability of many Sierra Leoneans to human trafficking schemes. The country is a popular recruitment center for traffickers.
Sierra Leoneans have been reportedly trafficked to East Asia, and Middle Eastern countries.
Sierra Leone has not been able to deal with the problem, partly because it has a very weak legislation which is currently under review. The review of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2005 will help the judiciary to speedily deal with issues dealing with trafficking and human smuggling.
Director of Public Prosecution, Easmon Ngakui, said they were working on improving the document.
“We have been looking at trafficking itself. We know as a matter of fact it is something that is bad for our nation and so we have to do everything possible as per law to ensure that the law makes provisions that will trap all persons involved in trafficking,” he said.
Ngakui added that they wanted to have very stiff conditions against those accused of trafficking.
“Victims interference is one very grey area and that is why I have said to my prosecutors that once somebody has been accused, when we have the evidence, you will not see the light of day until you get to court. And that is why we are coming out with the 136 application; we use an application that will prevent us from going to Magistrate Court. Because each time we go to Magistrate Court, there will be a lot of delay and then you have interferences with witnesses and victims,” Ngakui explained.
He added: “Once we get to the High Court, we ensure that they are not granted bail until the matter is quickly looked into.”
One of the participants in the training, Magistrate George Edwin from Kenema District, explained to Politico how important the training was to what they were trying to achieve as a judiciary.
“We have to take responsibility of bringing back sanity in terms the way our girls and boys are being treated in line with this human trafficking thing. Now that we have got the consultant and then he is within criminal law, I will say it will bear fruit for all and sundry,” Magistrate Edwin said.
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