October 10, 2020 (232News)
FREETOWN – The Legal Aid Board has handed-over four Honda XL 125 Motorbikes one each to its Paralegals in the Western Rural, Tonkolili, Karene and Falaba Districts at a short ceremony at the head office in Freetown on Monday, 28 September 2020.
The motorbikes are part of a UNICEF-funded project geared towards promoting access to justice for children in contact with the law. These are the third sets of bikes to the Board. This brings to a total of eleven UNICEF-funded motorbikes to the Legal Aid Board since its inception in May 2015. The first and second sets were donated in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
In handing-over the keys, the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles urged the Paralegals to use the bikes to end the abuses children are subjected when they are in contact with the law.
She added that they should provide legal assistance to child offenders in a timely manner, ensure timely referral of matters involving children, conditions of detention are appropriate and child friendly and effective monitoring of both the local and informal courts to ensure they do not handle child matters outside their remit.
Moreover, it will help the Paralegals in mediating civil or non-criminal matters brought on behalf of children such as child maintenance, child custody and inheritance.
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles took the opportunity to thank UNICEF for its continued support to the Legal Aid Board particularly in developing a Legal Aid Framework for Children in Contact with the Law.
The Paralegal from the newly created district of Falaba, Kalie Marah said the motorbike will increase their presence in hard to reach areas particularly those bordering with Guinea.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Osman Kargbo Paralegal from Karene, Emmanuel Conteh from Tonkolili and Dominic Tholley from Western Rural District. They added that with the increasing demand for the services of the Board, the bikes could not have some at a better time.
The ceremony was graced by the Consultant to the Legal Aid Board, Francis Gabbidon; Legal Aid Manager, Cecilia Tucker; National Supervisor Legal Aid Board, Mohamed Korie; Regional Programme Manager for the North, Mohamed Jalloh and ADR Adjudicators Alghassimu Sesay and Reverend Bob Kandeh.
