HRCSL Holds Mobile Complaint Hearings for Key Populations in Kenema, Port Loko
Aminata Koroma The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has taken its human rights complaint-hearing services to Kenema and Port Loko districts, reaching 196 members of Key Populations (KPs) through mobile complaint-hearing sessions held from November 3 to 5, 2026.
The initiative, organised in collaboration with the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) and World Vision International Sierra Leone (WVISL), with funding from the Global Fund, provided a platform for vulnerable groups to report cases of stigmatisation, discrimination, abuse, unequal treatment, and barriers to accessing healthcare and justice.
Of the 196 participants reached, 126 were women, and 70 were men. During the engagements, participants shared troubling accounts of mistreatment by community members, law enforcement personnel and other authorities.
Some participants alleged that they were frequently subjected to violence and exploitation by men who sought sexual services but later refused to pay them and resorted to physical assault despite prior payment arrangements.
Others attributed their involvement in street-based activities to family rejection, abandonment and exclusion from their communities, explaining that difficult circumstances had pushed some into drug use, theft and prostitution as means of survival.
Speaking at the sessions, HRCSL Oversight Commissioner for Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services, Hassan Samba Yarjah, apologised to vulnerable groups, particularly women who have experienced abuse, assault, discrimination and stigmatisation.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens and encouraged participants to report human rights violations through its confidential hotline, which is available at any time.
Yarjah emphasised that people must understand their rights before they can effectively claim them, noting that awareness of rights also comes with an understanding of individual responsibilities.
He further highlighted the availability of support from the Family Support Unit (FSU), human rights practitioners, activists and other referral partners who assist with complaints beyond the Commission’s direct mandate.
The Community Headman of Rotifuk, Lungi, Mr Bundu, commended the Commission and its partners for bringing the initiative to the community, describing the engagement as an important learning opportunity for vulnerable groups to understand their rights and responsibilities.
A major concern emerged during monitoring visits to the Kenema Central Police Division, where the delegation discovered three underage school-going boys detained in an overcrowded male cell alongside adult detainees.
Following the discovery, the team immediately engaged senior police officers, who removed the boys from the cell and transferred them to a facility described by the police as an open detention facility. Engagement with relevant authorities is continuing to secure bail for the boys so they can resume their education while investigations proceed.
The programme also included monitoring visits to Kenema Government Hospital, Port Loko Correctional Centre, Lungi Government Hospital and Port Loko Secondary School.
To further raise public awareness, the Commission concluded the engagements with radio discussions on Radio Bankasoka 97.5 FM in Port Loko and Star Line Radio 98.5 FM in Kenema.
The mobile complaint hearing initiative forms part of HRCSL’s mandate to investigate human rights violations and bring its services closer to communities, particularly vulnerable groups who face difficulties accessing the Commission’s offices.