By Politico Staff Writer
President Julius Maada Bio has during a meeting with the Bar Association commended the leadership of the outgoing Bar Association in their role in nation building during their tenure in office.
The team during their visit to the President at State House led by its President, Eddinia Michaella Swallow on the 14th February, 2024 thanked President Bio for his support to the association. She described her tenure as ‘very successful,’ pointing out that they had conducted much training, including one by judges from the UK, to deliver training in advocacy in Sierra Leone for the first time.
“So, what we have now, after that training, is a core of judges and senior lawyers trained to train our lawyers on advocacy. This will improve the quality of our profession,” she said.
She said that one of their biggest interventions was the Dems Project for Boys, which sought to support juveniles. She said that while there were funds to support girls and women, the same could not be said for boys. She stated that as an executive, they decided to go to Dems and search for boys who have made mistakes, realizing that every time a boy makes mistakes, there is no second chance for him.
She recalled when they launched the project in June 2023 to date that 90 percent of the boys at Dems have been acquitted and discharged.
Lawyer Swallow noted that they give the boys free legal aid, which includes a fair hearing and speedy trial and provided them with skills training and psychosocial counselling.
“So, we want to say thanks and assure you that the Bar Association will always be there to support your aspirations for the rule of law and access to justice and will always be there to support your government,” she assured.
President Bio thanked the association of lawyers and acknowledged that they were very important, not only in the country but also for engagements abroad. He pointed out that the outgoing President’s hard work and the collective leadership demonstrated led to the success of her Presidency.
“I am sure this is just a step in life, and it will serve as history that your tenure reached certain milestones. I want to say thank you for the services you provided to your association and for your leadership. I pray your successor will always count on my support for your association. I am always ready to help,” he said.
The President noted that their efforts in helping the boys were very good, adding that people had suffered unnecessary pain because they lost their way in their formative years. He said, if the association had not come to their help, they would have perished and lost their way for the rest of their lives.
“So, you have been saving lots of lives, the future, and the careers of very bright kids. We are all bound to make mistakes anyway, especially at that age,” the President said, adding that punishing juveniles by putting them in the same system as adults was very stressful.
He was happy that the Bar Association had taken up the task of providing services for them and encouraged people, in the future, to pay attention to young boys in conflict with the law.
Copyright (c) 2024 (Politico 20/02/24)
