UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 33) GoSL plans to ratify several Optional Protocols in the coming years. An objective of the on-going constitutional review process is, inter alia, to also incorporate some of the principles of international human rights espoused by the said Optional Protocols into the new constitution and thus make them as part of the supreme laws of the land. The Government is seeking donor support to enable it to prepare and submit the outstanding reports. A timetable for the submission of the reports supra is to be drawn in 2021 which will guide the GoSL.
Para 46) Sierra Leone signed the OP-CEDAW in September 2008 but has not ratified it. The Ebola Virus Disease in 2014 and the concurrent economic meltdown hampered the ratification process. With the election of a new government, came the Corona Virus pandemic. However, the Government has responded positively to the implementation of its contents.

National Report:
Para 33) The OP-CRPD was signed on 30th March 2007, and is awaiting ratification.

Para 35) Sierra Leone has signed the OP-CEDAW and is in the process of ratifying it; the MSWGCA had put the OP-CEDAW on its work plan to pursue its ratification by 2014. This deadline has been extended due to the EVD. However, the MSWGCA has set up local points for complaints regarding offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2012, which is in part a domestication of the CEDAW ...

Para 37) The ratification of the OP-CESCR ... will be completed before the next cycle of the UPR.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 3) The Commission noted that the Government was yet to ratify the OP-CEDAW, OP-CRPD ... The Government did not sign and ratify the OP-ICESCR.

National Report:
Para 28) Launched in December 2018, the Office of the First Lady led a rigorous campaign titled ‘Hands Off Our Girls’. As part of a national response against sexual and gender-based violence and related violations in the country, the Sexual Offences Act of 2012 was amended. Also, the first ‘Sexual Offences Model Court’ has been set up and launched on 24 July 2020 to try sexual violence offenders. In further fulfilment of the Government’s mandate and its determination to address this heinous crime, the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has established a team to process speedy trial of cases involving sexual and gender-based violence and related violations. Also, State Counsel have been instructed to oppose bail from perpetrators of sexual offences and to ensure that convicted sex offenders do not benefit from the power of the prerogative of mercy.
Para 29) There has been a sexual amendment (Amendment) Act, 2019. The Act increases the punishment for conviction of rape or sexual offences of minors. Before this, there was a state of emergency on rape and other offences in 2019.
Para 40) As demonstrated in the national reports Sierra Leone submitted to the First and Second Cycle reviews, significant work has been undertaken, including the passing of the undermentioned instruments, to implement many of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and to provide legislative safeguards for human rights: … • The Sexual Offences Act 2012; as amended by the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 2019;
Para 104) As a preventive measure, the GoSL formulated the National Male Involvement Strategy for the Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. It aims at, among other things, eradicating sexual and gender-based violence, promoting gender equality and upholding the rights and dignity of women and girls. The strategy adopts a socially transformative approach that focuses on the participation of men and boys as change agents and champions for protecting women and girls in their families, communities, schools and workplaces. It treats men not just as perpetrators of violence but as allies in changing power relations and systems in society that sustain gender inequality and violence.
Para 105) In 2019, the Government reviewed the Sexual Offences Act of 2012 and enacted the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019 to increase the maximum penalty for Rape and Sexual Penetration of a child from 15 years’ imprisonment to a sentence of life imprisonment and introduced the new offence of aggravated sexual assault and an alternative conviction of aggravated sexual assault. Also, a ‘Sexual Offences Model Court’ has been set up to try sexual violence offenders. In 2020, the GoSL instituted a free health line for rape and SGBV victims to report the incidences. Between April and October, 2020, a total of 48,147 calls were processed.
Para 106) In further fulfilment of the Government’s mandate and its determination to address this heinous crime, the Office of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has established a team to process speedy trial of cases involving sexual and gender-based violence and related violations. Also, State Counsel have been instructed to oppose bail from perpetrators of sexual offences and to ensure that convicted sex offenders do not benefit from the power of prerogative of mercy. The FSU of the SLP is being strengthened to adequately respond to sexual and gender-based violence cases.
Para 107) From 11 to 20 May 2017, the Decentralisation Secretariat in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) held consultative meetings with all 149 Paramount Chiefs in the country. These meetings addressed issues of violence against children and women. The Paramount Chiefs prepared action plans on how to prevent violence against children and women and promoting children welfare in their communities.
Para 119) Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) which is a perennial source of human rights violations is itself a complex mix of traditional beliefs and poverty that are experienced more by women, particularly by women in the rural areas and within the urban-rural enclaves.

UN Compilation:
Para 53) The United Nations country team commended Sierra Leone for the steps taken to address the increasing rate of reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence, including the launch of the “Hands off our girls” campaign in 2018, the development of a national strategy for the involvement of males in the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence, and the establishment of a toll-free hotline to report cases of such violence. It also noted the assistance provided to victims.
Para 56) The United Nations country team remained concerned over the continuous prevalence of rape and other forms of sexual violence, including against children, and about the prolonged investigation and trial of cases reported to the police.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 34) JS2 and JS3 welcomed that the Sexual Offenses Act was amended in 2019 to include additional sexual crimes and increased penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence against children. JS2 also welcomed the establishment of the Family Support Unit of the Police; the free toll line, the One-Stop-Centres, and related awareness raising campaigns. However, the organisations highlighted that significant issues should still to be addressed, such as rape, commercial child sexual exploitation.
Para 35) CUMG-SL stated that, while policies have been developed to combat sexual abuse against girls in school, those policies were challenged by inadequate support to ensure effective implementation.

National Report:
Para 108) LAB provides free legal advice and representation in civil and criminal matters for indigents especially women, Ebola survivors and those in rural communities who face real prospects of discrimination. In this regard, the work of LAB contributes to enforcing laws and policies that promote gender equality. Between May 2015 to December 2018 a total of 214,476 people (including 39,834 children and 30,009 women) including non-Sierra Leoneans benefited from services provided by LAB.
Para 109) LAB introduced Alternative Dispute Resolution or Mediation mechanisms in March 2016. The service is provided in every district in the country following the recruitment and deployment of 35 Paralegals. LAB recorded 97,838 people benefited from ADR services since its inception in 2016. This accounts for 46% of beneficiaries of the scheme. A total of 48,452 people have benefitted from ADR in 2018. This accounts for 45% of beneficiaries of the scheme for that period. From that total figure, 23,789 children benefitted from the ADR service in 2018. This accounts for 49% of beneficiaries.
Para 110) The GoSL is pleased to report that the ADR scheme is helping to reduce the pressure on the police and the courts’ time. This is because community-level disputes in civil matters which were reported to the police or courts for adjudication are now reported to LAB mediation centres. Moreover, the police and the courts are also referring civil matters to LAB for mediation. This scheme has contributed to improving access to justice.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 37) JS8 regretted that women detained are not offered legal advise, and due to strong patriarchal cultures, they may lack the skills necessary to bring a complaint and enforces their rights.

National Report:
Para 26) ... The Ministry of Health supported the Free Malaria Treatment Program for all age groups, as well as the Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS programmes ...

Para 27) Sierra Leone has increased the number of testing sites for HIV/AIDS Anti-rectroviral Therapy (ART) from 556 in 2011 to 689 in 2012, with the number of pregnant women tested for HIV/AIDS rising from 138,000 in 2011 to 224,000 in 2012. The coverage for prophylaxis is 74%. The 2011 HIV/AIDS Commission Act makes it an offence to deny a person access to employment or to an educational institution on the basis of their HIV status. Alongside this, HIV positive personnel are serving in the security sector and an anti-stigmatization law is also being enforced. Several workplaces have adopted and mainstreamed National HIV/AIDS policy. Orientations on the 2011 HIV/AIDS Commission Act have been held with provisions within the Act (part VIII sub-section) prohibiting prosecuting a woman on the basis of mother-to-child transmission of HIV before or during birth of the child or through breast-feeding. There has been an increase in sensitization on the radio and TV, as well as the integration of HIV/AIDS in other programs (e.g. Teenage Pregnancy and Family Planning), as well as in religious (Sierra Leone Inter Religious AIDS Network) and private sector initiatives (Business Coalition against AIDS in Sierra Leone) are yielding results. The awareness level in the country is over 90% (BSS 2011). In terms of investment in Anti-Retro Viral drugs (ARVs), 40% of the 20,000 people who are in need of ARVs are receiving treatment. Based on these projections, the Global Fund has approved $6.5 Million over the next three years to procure ARVs. Another $2 million has been approved for the procurement of HIV test kits. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) is now putting together a resource mobilization plan to raise funds for HIV/AIDS programs sustainability after 2015.

Para 54) The RSLAF continues to benefit from US Government-sponsored courses for top and middle-level ranking military officers on the Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights. The US Government has also offered training courses to the RSLAF in the areas of HIV/AIDS Planning and Policy Development, GBV and Women's Health. Participants for such courses included both male and female military officers. The RSLAF Peace Support Operation Policy has a provision relating to the training of personnel on the Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights issues as a condition for pre-deployment.

Para 81) ... In addition to FHC, free malaria treatment for all age groups is provided in all government healthcare facilities, including the treatment for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS ...

Para 85) Aggressive campaigns on HIV prevention have been conducted. Testing sites have increased from 556 in 2011 to 689 in 2012, and the number of pregnant women tested has increased from 138,000 in 2011 to 224,000 in 2012. There has been an improvement in male condom branding by facilitating an MOU between the UNFPA and Aids Healthcare Foundation. The MOHS is now putting together a resource mobilization plan to raise funds for HIV and AIDS programs sustainability after 2015.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 25) ICAAD noted that the HIV/AIDS Commission Act was passed in 2011, making it illegal to deny employment or education based on HIV status.