Sierra Leone
71.4% of respondents in Sierra Leone believe the justice system works for the rich and powerful
The respondents of the household survey, predominantly female, cited divorce and domestic dispute and domestic violence as their main legal issues followed by contract, physical violence at the community level, and abuse of power including corruption.
These respondents found access to courts and law enforcement agencies difficult to access, with the formal courts and the law enforcement agencies more difficult than with the local (traditional) courts. Most of the respondents highlighted multiple barriers to accessing the formal justice system, but with cultural and linguistic barriers and gender bias and discrimination by justice sector officials (including double victimization) the least serious barriers. Only 11.8 percent usually or always resorted to alternative and traditional justice mechanisms for redress.
Respondents also indicated that multiple barriers exist in their use of alternative non-formal justice mechanisms and raised similar issues regarding the formal justice system. The most serious barrier was the prolonged process and delay in the delivery of justice followed by partiality of personnel.
Over half of the respondents believed that the justice system works only for the rich and powerful while slightly over half of respondents were neutral or did not accept that there were improvements in the accessibility of the court system in the past few years. Linked to this, the respondents overall therefore felt that the service provided by the formal justice system was not affordable, of good quality, or given in a timely manner.
Overall respondents indicated a lack awareness and knowledge of all aspects of legal information and legal aid. This is a gap that the Legal Aid Board, the Ministry of Justice, and the Bar Association should take responsibility for filling, in collaboration with other justice sector stakeholders.
Across rural and urban communities, more than half of respondents felt the level of legal information available was at least poor. An extremely high number of respondents (82.3 percent) had never received legal information from a lawyer or through awareness raising workshops and programs. Over 50 percent had received some legal information from personal contacts, while the majority had received legal information through print and electronic media (radio, TV, internet, leaflets, posters, billboards).
Over 70 percent of respondents felt that the availability of legal aid service was at least very poor.