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The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has on Thursday 9th February 2023 unveiled its Human Rights Elections Preparedness Strategy for the 2023 Elections.
The Unveiling was done by the Vice Chairperson of HRCSL, Commissioner Victor I. Lansana Esq, during a Multi-sectoral dialogue with Elections Management Bodies(EMBs), Political Parties’ leadership, and the Security sector, at the New Brookfield’s Hotel, Freetown.
Presenting the Strategy, Commissioner Lansana emphasized that human rights are an essential pillar in any democracy and the right to participate fully in public life is a fundamental human right that must be enjoyed without restrictions.
He informed the gathering that as a grade “A” accredited National Human Rights Institution, HRCSL has a pivotal role to play in the electioneering process, hence the development of the Strategy that will guide its activities.
Commissioner Lansana further stated that the general goal of HRCSL’s elections intervention is to ensure human rights compliance by both duty bearers and rights holders.
In his presentation, the Vice Chairperson highlighted the five Pillars of the Human Rights and Elections Strategy as follows:
1. Monitoring and Documentation,
2. Public Education and Awareness Raising,
3. Complaints Handling
4. Capacity Building and
5. Compilation and Production of Special Elections Report.
In conclusion, the Vice Chairperson presented a budget amounting to NLe. 1,960,000 ($105,946) that is required to roll out the Strategy.
He ended by expressing thanks to the organizers – Election Conflict Prevention and Mediation Working Group (ECPMG) for giving the HRCSL the platform to unveil its 2023 Human Rights and Election Strategy and called for support to help implement the activities outlined in the Strategy.
