AdvocAid Sierra Leone

AdvocAid Sierra Leone Education, Empowerment and Access to Justice for Girls and Women in Sierra Leone | www.advocaidsl.org | https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/15052/advocaid/

24/09/2026

๐•๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž: ๐…๐š๐ญ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐š ๐‰๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ก

Meet Fatmata Jalloh, our South East Program Officer, in this monthโ€™s Voices Advancing Justice spotlight.

Fatmata shares what advancing justice means to her and how her work supports women and girls as they navigate the justice system.

From ensuring womenโ€™s voices are heard and helping them understand their rights, to monitoring detention and court processes, engaging duty bearers, and advocating for systemic change, her work goes beyond individual cases.

For Fatmata, advancing justice means working towards a justice system where every woman is treated fairly, her rights are respected, and her circumstances do not determine whether she can access justice.

๐ŸŽง Hear more from Fatmata in this monthโ€™s spotlight.

21/09/2026

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?

For us, peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is justice, dignity, equality, safety, and the freedom to live without fear.

This ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž, our team shares what peace means to them and the role each of us can play in advancing it.

Because peace is not something we simply hope for. It is something we build.

Who gets to make decisions matters.Women make up half of society, yet their perspectives have not always been equally re...
18/09/2026

Who gets to make decisions matters.

Women make up half of society, yet their perspectives have not always been equally represented in the spaces where laws, policies, and decisions are shaped.

Womenโ€™s participation in decision-making matters because policies and laws can affect women and girls in different ways. Their lived experiences and perspectives can help inform more inclusive approaches to governance and justice.

Representation is not simply about having women in the room. It is also about ensuring that women have meaningful opportunities to participate, influence decisions, and exercise leadership.

When women have a voice in decision-making, the conversation becomes more inclusive.

Democracy is more than voting.Itโ€™s about participation, representation, accountability, access to information, and havin...
15/09/2026

Democracy is more than voting.

Itโ€™s about participation, representation, accountability, access to information, and having a voice in decisions that affect our lives.

On , letโ€™s remember: understanding our rights and how institutions work helps us participate meaningfully and hold decision-makers accountable.

Your voice matters. Your participation matters.

๐๐ž๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ง๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐›๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฑ, ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐.Who m...
10/09/2026

๐๐ž๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ง๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐›๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฑ, ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐.

Who makes the laws?
Who interprets them?
Who investigates crime?
And where can people turn when they need support?

Knowing the answer matters.

๐Ÿ. ๐๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ makes laws.
๐Ÿ. ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ interpret and apply the law.
๐Ÿ‘. The ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐ž have responsibilities relating to law enforcement and public safety.
๐Ÿ’. ๐๐ฎ๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐œ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ have different roles in delivering services, protecting rights, and implementing laws and policies.
๐Ÿ“. ๐‚๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ help educate communities, protect rights, provide support, advocate for change and hold institutions accountable.

These institutions do not operate in isolation. Understanding how they fit together is an important part of civic education and legal literacy.

For women in contact with the law, understanding these roles can help them know where to seek information or support, understand their rights and recognize how accountability works.

Legal literacy is not just about knowing the law. It is also about understanding the systems around you and knowing where to turn when you need help.

You have a voice in society. Knowing how the system works helps you use it.

โ€œ๐๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ. ๐–๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง.โ€A simple request, but a powerful one.For women in detention, access t...
08/09/2026

โ€œ๐๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ. ๐–๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง.โ€

A simple request, but a powerful one.

For women in detention, access to literacy can make a meaningful difference. Being able to read and understand information can help women engage with their cases, understand their rights, communicate with others and prepare for life beyond prison.

Literacy is not only about reading and writing. It is also about dignity, confidence, opportunity, and empowerment.

On ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‹๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ฒ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ, we are reminded that education should not stop at the prison gates.

Every woman deserves the opportunity to learn. Every woman deserves the opportunity to understand her rights.

At AdvocAid, literacy and legal education form an important part of our work supporting women and girls in contact with the law.

๐–๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ฐ๐ž ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ๐ค ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ?Rights and protections can be found across diffe...
05/09/2026

๐–๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ฐ๐ž ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ๐ค ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ?

Rights and protections can be found across different legal and human rights frameworks. These include Sierra Leoneโ€™s Constitution, national legislation, decisions of the courts, and regional and international human rights instruments.

These frameworks help define the rights people are entitled to and the responsibilities of institutions to respect and protect them.

Knowing where our rights come from helps us better understand the laws and systems that shape our everyday lives. It also helps us recognize the protections available when those rights are threatened.

Civic and legal literacy starts with knowing where to look.

๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ.They protect our dignity, shape how we are treated, and give us the ability to par...
04/09/2026

๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ.

They protect our dignity, shape how we are treated, and give us the ability to participate in society and make decisions about our lives.

Human rights belong to everyone. They include equality, freedom from discrimination, access to education, freedom of expression, and the right to participate in public life.

Knowing your rights matters because it is difficult to claim or defend a right you do not know you have.

Throughout September, we will focus on civic and legal literacy, helping make information about rights, laws and institutions easier to understand and access.

Because legal empowerment starts with knowledge.

Know your rights. Know your voice.

๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐š๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ. ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž.Having legal protections is an important step towards justice. But for those protect...
28/08/2026

๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐š๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ. ๐‘๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž.

Having legal protections is an important step towards justice. But for those protections to have real meaning, women must be able to understand their rights, access support, and rely on systems to uphold them.

At AdvocAid, our work helps bridge the gap between rights in law and rights in practice through legal representation, legal education, advocacy, and support for women in contact with the law.

Because justice is not simply about what the law says. It is about whether people can actually experience those protections in their everyday lives.

๐‡๐ž๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐‡๐ž๐ซ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ.

Yesterday, members of The Carter Center team visited the AdvocAid office in Freetown to provide updates on their Rule of...
28/08/2026

Yesterday, members of The Carter Center team visited the AdvocAid office in Freetown to provide updates on their Rule of Law program and ongoing efforts to expand access to justice in Sierra Leone.

Earlier this year, The Carter Center approached AdvocAid to explore collaboration on decriminalising petty offences and improving access to justice. The partnership includes research examining the costs and benefits of decarceration compared with imprisonment, mapping social services for vulnerable groups, and developing case studies on decarceration and decriminalization through a gender-sensitive approach.

The initiative also includes strengthening data collection and monitoring, building the capacity of justice sector actors, supporting a national study on petty offences, and exploring community-based alternatives to incarceration.

These conversations are an important part of building a justice system that responds proportionately to offences, addresses the circumstances that contribute to vulnerability, and reduces unnecessary reliance on imprisonment.

AdvocAid looks forward to continued engagement and collaboration towards a more accessible, equitable and effective justice system in Sierra Leone.

Address

1st Floor, 1 Bright Street Brookfields
Freetown

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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+23272384771

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