By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Sierra Leone’s human right record is set to be examined this Wednesday, 27, January, 2016by the United Nations Human Right Council, the second such reviews to be conducted almost five years ago.
The session would focus on how far Sierra Leone had gone to address outstanding human rights concerns in the country since the last review on 6 May, 2011.
Recently the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, HRCSL, and other human rights bodies called for the human rights section of the 1991 Constitution to be reviewed and be fixed as justifiable rights in the future constitution.
Rights groups said they saw the ongoing review of the 1991 Constitution as a perfect opportunity for the country to boost its human rights record.
The HRCSL annual report, which was last launched in October 2015, highlighted many human right problems the country had faced in the last year. Chief among them, the commission said, was the effect of the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic on the freedom and liberties of people.
“…health workers and survivors experienced stigmatization from community members,” HRCSL Chairperson, Braima Sheriff, noted during the launch of the annual HRCSL report last year.
With regards health care and service delivery, the commission urged the government to increase its effort, especially with regards to budget allocations.
HRCSL urged that budget allocation for the health sector be raised up to 15% at least, in accordance with the Abuja Declaration which Sierra Leone was a party to.
Problems like domestic violence against women and delay in justice delivery remained a perennial problem for the country and they were mentioned again in HRCSL report in 2015.
Upon the presentation of the HRCSL last year, President Ernest Bai Koroma reaffirmed the government’s commitment to looking into the human rights challenges in the country and to supporting the commission as much they could.
Newly appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara is the leader of Sierra Leone delegation to the current review which is taking place at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The review is done based on documents like the national report from the HRCSL, reports by human right activists, studies and findings by civil society groups and other relevant human right actors in the country and the region as a whole.
This result of the Universal Periodic Review will help paint a clear picture of human rights in Sierra Leone in a global frame.
This review would be part of an ongoing process for 193 United Nations member countries.
The country is among 14 countries that are undergoing this current session of the review which started since January 18 and will end on the 29.
(C) Politico 28/01/16
