A team from the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has paid a courtesy call on the European Union (EU) Delegation to Sierra Leone at their Leicester Peak Office.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary Joseph Benmanking Kamara said the Commission extended request for a courtesy call on the delegation because of their monitoring role to ensure that human rights is observed.
Commissioner Hassan Samba Yarjah elaborated on the Commission’s Elections Preparedness Strategy which he said has five pillars – public education, monitoring, complaints handling, capacity building (District Human Rights Committees, Law Enforcement Officials, and Staff), and a Special Report on the Elections.
He noted that the Commission has made huge gains in its service delivery, especially through complaints handling. He added that the Mobile Complaint Hearing which was introduced by the Commission has provided the much-needed service to deprived communities. Commissioner Yarjah said it is the view of the Commission to have Commissioners resident in the regions for the June elections to help profile and improve on response time to complaints on elections.
The EU Head of Delegation, Ambassador Manuel Alexander Muller expressed delight in meeting the HRCSL formally. He said most of their programs were crosscutting, hence they have been working with other international organisations to support various initiatives.
He said the Commission can tap into some of the initiatives through the other development partners to support its efforts to the elections.
