BACKGROUND:

Child trafficking remains one of the most serious human rights violations in the Mano River Union (MRU) countries—Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea—where children, especially girls, are trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced domestic labour, and other forms of abuse. Socioeconomic challenges, harmful traditional practices like child marriage and informal fosterage, and the porous nature of regional borders all contribute to children’s vulnerability. Many children are deceived by traffickers with false promises of education, jobs, or a better life, often ending up exploited within or across national borders. Despite domestic laws and action plans, victims often go unidentified, unsupported, and unprotected due to limited state resources and weak enforcement mechanisms.

Recognising these cross-border challenges, Defence for Children International-Sierra Leone (DCI-SL), DCI-Liberia, and Sabou Guinea launched a joint anti-trafficking initiative in 2013, with support from the Fund for Global Human Rights. The programme seeks to strengthen child protection systems at border communities and improve prevention and response to trafficking. Key interventions include training border officials, CSOs, and community members; rescuing and reuniting trafficked children; and developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for identifying and supporting victims. These efforts are grounded in the shared realities of the MRU region—interconnected communities, languages, and cultures, and a common pattern of internal and cross-border child exploitation.

Intervention:

Over the years, we have supported frontline child protection actors, built strong referral pathways, and advanced advocacy for better anti-trafficking laws and practices. Their work has not only improved victim identification and support but also fostered greater regional collaboration and accountability in combating child trafficking. As the Ministry of Social Welfare in Sierra Leone acknowledged, DCI's advocacy, training, and development of clear SOPs have been instrumental in ensuring trafficked children are identified, protected, and reconnected with their families.

Achievements:

o The training of 93 stakeholders, including journalists and CSOs, on trafficking in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia has increased awareness and interception of traffic victims, reaching 46 border communities;
o 52 suspected cases of child trafficking were arrested in communities, discouraging traffickers. In 2023, DCI secured funding from the Legal Empowerment Fund to build youth capacity for legal transformation in their communities;
o 117 youths from the Mano River Youths Network and the ECOWAS Youths Council trained on child trafficking prevention and responses, developing campaign messages and a youth-friendly case management tool. These groups have gained recognition and are invited to attend important interagency meetings, such as the District Trafficking Taskforce meeting in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia;
o 158 border security officials, community leaders, and trafficking taskforce members trained on Standard Operating Procedures for preventing and responding to cross-border child trafficking between Mano River Union countries and Sierra Leone and Guinea, and 60 judges, prosecutors, and investigators in 2023;
o We held four cross-border meetings to strengthen collaboration and address cross-border child trafficking. We supported 4 border communities in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, providing temporary care and transit shelters;
o 368 actors, including journalists, CSOs, security officials, community leaders, and youths, trained on child trafficking issues, increasing their interest in fighting child trafficking, leading to more radio panel discussions;
o 18,154 people in 46 border communities in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, reached with child/youths trafficking messages, and contributed to drafting a MoU;
o We contributed to the passage of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act of Sierra Leone in 2023

Lessons Learnt:

o There is no continuity in the training sessions: once the employees who benefitted from training are transferred, new staff will not be trained. For this project to be successful when replicated, it should find a way to engage the governments of the three countries to provide a child trafficking guidance as part of the training they provide to their police;
o Some children voluntarily migrate to escape the abuse suffered at home. Those children need to receive support and should not be treated as criminals. The project should be replicated in a way that ensures that the communities who are helping identify victims of child trafficking know the difference between children on the move and victims of child trafficking and do not stop children who are trying to escape and return them to an abusive household;
o Law enforcement agents lack very basic resources such as office phones, motorbikes and funding. Since bikes can bypass the border complex, child traffickers are steps ahead of the underfunded police forces. For this project to be successful when replicated, it should be carried out in parallel with advocacy of the three governments for the provision of these basic resources;
o It is important that project design is developed in parallel with a plan for the monitoring and evaluation component. This would ensure that the project is efficiently monitored and adjusted accordingly but also that rigorous data collection is carried out;
o Communities are an important resource in the fight against child trafficking. Future project design should focus on exploiting the potential of the communities in advocacy and sensitisation of their peers so as to also ensure the sustainability of the project.

Background

In Sierra Leone, women and girls continue to face discrimination in various domains, including political, civic, economic, social, cultural, and education. They are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender-based violence, and women seeking leadership and decision-making positions face significant challenges compared to men. These include lack of economic independence, high illiteracy, entrenched customs and traditions, and lack of confidence to vie for public positions. Despite these challenges, the position of girls and women in society has improved, with more parents sending their daughters to school. At the primary level, girls have achieved parity with boys, and attitudes and behaviors that they now consider acceptable contribute to their autonomy. However, they are increasingly wary of factors that can derail their dreams, such as unwanted pregnancy. Sierra Leone has the 18th highest prevalence rate of child marriage in the world, with 39% of girls married before their 18 years and 13% married before the age of 15, particularly in the north. Due to teenage/unwanted pregnancy, 21% of girls and young women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing, impeding their development. Additionally, women and girls in Sierra Leone have always made vital contributions to the economy, but they have not recorded substantial growth in their economic activities due to inadequate skills development, low educational status, low economic power, and restricted access to credit facilities. Women's representation in all five presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone has been far too low, leading to marginalization and underrepresentation.

The She Leads Programme is a consortium and a joint strategic partnership comprising child rights organisations, feminist/women’s rights organisations, and girl- and young women- (GYW) led groups to increase the sustained influence of GYW on decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in formal and informal institutions. Sierra Leone is among the nine (9) countries in which the She Leads Partnership is being implemented with the aim of supporting and equipping girls and young women to drive change in their countries. The program also works at the international level to drive policy change on girls’ and young women’s participation; and to empower GYW to use international systems to advance their advocacy.

Interventions:

With special focus on girls and young women increased participation and inclusion in leadership and decision making processes, we directly advocated, provided counseling, and organised community outreach programmes. We additionally supported GYW to lead campaigns against gender-based violence and harmful norms, raising awareness, influencing policies, and advocating for systemic changes. We organised consultations with service providers, linked GYW with public institutions and service providers and provided GYWs with funding and technical support to be able to design and implement their programmers and network and coordinated with partners including the Child Rights Coalition to inspire inclusive growth and development for girls and young women.

Achievements:

o We inspired over 50 GYW to step into active leadership roles at school, community, national, and even global levels. Through targeted mentorship, capacity-building, and advocacy, 36 GYW have emerged as confident changemakers. Notable milestones include the appointment of Memunatu Ibrahim as the first female President of the ECOWAS Parliament and Esther Caulker as the youngest lecturer at FBC. In schools, girls now dominate prefectural boards, and in universities, they are being elected to high offices like Governor and Student Union Ambassador—demonstrating that with the right support, young women can lead in spaces traditionally dominated by men.
o Through advocacy, counseling, and community awareness, over 60 GYW were motivated to return to or continue their education, with 20 formerly dropped-out girls reenrolled in Bai-Largoh alone. These efforts have created a shift in community attitudes toward girls’ education. The mentorship component further inspired five GYW to enroll in university, showing a direct link between empowerment interventions and higher education attainment.
o Together with other partners in the Child Right Coalition, we were actively involved in the review and advocacy process for the 2024 Child Rights Act helped place critical issues such as banning FGM for minors on the national legislative agenda. Working alongside partners like Plan International and the ACRWC, She Leads successfully elevated GYW voices in policymaking processes, pushing Parliament to align with international instruments like the Maputo Protocol—demonstrating the power of grassroots advocacy in shaping national laws.
o We have significantly connected GYW to regional and international platforms, amplifying their voices and influence beyond national borders. Participants have represented Sierra Leone at global summits, including the Abu Dhabi Global Summit, GIMAC Pre-Summit, and International Women’s Day panels. These engagements showcase the enhanced visibility and credibility of young Sierra Leonean women in global development dialogues. Hajaratu Bangura’s participation in international events and advisory boards exemplifies how local empowerment can lead to global advocacy.
o In 2024, over $30,000 has been mobilized by GYW-led initiatives for community development efforts, including establishing safe spaces and providing training for marginalized populations. Furthermore, 12 girls’ groups and 2 youth groups are now equipped with grant-writing skills, enabling them to attract national and international funding. This marks a shift from dependence to self-driven activism and sustainability.
o We supported girls and young women to lead the creation of multiple safe spaces offering education, life skills, and counseling to over 145 GYW. More critically, She Leads has influenced cultural gatekeepers, resulting in MOUs with traditional Soweis to end FGM for girls under 18. The rescue of 23 girls from initiation ceremonies in Koinadugu further highlights the programme’s protective impact. Additionally, more than 20 GYW have become Traditional Authorities, gaining voting rights in community decision-making, signifying a major shift in gender roles and local governance;
o Through persistent community engagement, She Leads has achieved a shift in traditional norms that previously excluded girls and young women from leadership. Male leaders, like Chief Speaker Yusif Kamara in Bombali, now challenge exclusionary practices, while new by-laws in Bo and Moyamba mandate the inclusion of GYW in all community decision-making panels. These changes reflect growing community recognition of girls' voices and leadership potential, as well as an evolving culture of inclusion and accountability.
o Additionally, we have increased the employment prospects and visibility of GYW in key decision-making spaces. GYW have been appointed to organizational boards, employed in non-traditional sectors like construction, and placed in academic roles. The establishment of the Youth Climate Council by She Leads members signifies institutional recognition of GYW leadership in climate governance. This growing presence in governance and employment signals progress toward gender parity in public life.
o Finally, we have expanded from 6 to 16 active GYW groups within just six months, fostering deeper collaboration with CSOs, feminist organizations, and youth movements. These partnerships have enabled joint advocacy on gender equality, climate justice, and education. New actors like She Empowerment League and Concern for Koinadugu are actively contributing to the broader movement for girls' empowerment, marking the rise of a decentralized and sustained movement for gender transformation in Sierra Leone.

Lessons learnt:

o Some of the safe spaces they are establishing in their communities lack the necessary first aid kits required for their meeting; as a result participation has not been smooth for some girls and young women.
o Limited accessibility for people living with disability in the areas where meetings are held, most of the locations where She Leads meetings are not disabled friendly and for those living with disability this might be a challenge for them to attend.

Background

Although access to education and school enrolment have significantly increased, thanks to the introduction of the Free Quality Education by the government of Sierra Leone in 2018, and the Education Sector Plan (2022-2026) to improve learning outcomes for all children and youths, the quality of education delivered remains low, resulting to poor learning outcomes of students. School completion rate stands at 64% at Primary school, at 44% at Junior Secondary School and at 22% at Senior Secondary School. For many children, especially in rural areas, the issue of low quality and poor learning outcomes, due to lack of trained and qualified teachers and exacerbated by poverty, gender discrimination, long distance to school, perceived low value placed on education, negative social norms and unsafe learning environment, impedes their ability and result in high rates of school drop-outs and extremely low success rate in public examination.

Given recognition to this problem, and our desire to continue to contribute in addressing the root causes, we re-designed the BEFORE project, a two years project, which was implemented in Bo, Bombali, Kenema and Pujehun Districts to increase learning outcomes of students in 16 rural primary and 4 rural junior secondary schools by equipping teachers to address learning deficits of students particularly at the upper primary school classes and JSS classes whilst building the foundation of students at the lower level classes at the primary schools.

Interventions:

We provided training and regular coaching for all the teachers at the targeted schools to improve learning outcomes; strengthened schools governance systems and mobilized community support towards the schools, organised bi-weekly life skills sessions for students; increased number of children with disability benefiting from the project by targeting special needs schools that provide education for children with disabilities and strengthened the relationship between the schools and the government Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Commission.

Our Achievements:

o In two years – between September 2023 and May April 2024), we trained, supported and repeatedly coached 157 teachers (62% male and 38% female) and 2% are with disability from 20 schools. Data from both DCI’s monitoring and continuing teachers’ assessment reports show that on average over 80% of the teachers at the primary and 83% of teachers at the secondary schools levels are now good at using the DCI’s child centered methodology to teach. At the beginning of the project only 20% of teachers in primary schools and 23% of teachers at the secondary schools had relatively good knowledge and skills in applying child centered teaching methodology.
o About 6115 students - 50.9% girls, 49.1% boys and 3.2%with disability steadily increased their competences and learning outcomes, due to the use of improved child centred methodology. The recent evaluation study of this project reveals that there is a considerable increase in foundational literacy abilities among students of the primary schools from 14% or less to 65% or more, whilst those with foundational numeracy abilities increased from an average of 23% to an average of 64.5%. Similarly, at the junior secondary schools, the percentage of students with basic foundational literacy abilities has increased from 14% (baseline) to 70% whilst those with basic foundational numeracy abilities have increased from 32% to 66%.
o Furthermore, all the 20 schools covered now have functional school governing bodies such as the School Management Committees, Board and Community Teachers Associations (CTAs) meeting regularly and playing their roles despite their own challenges and shortfalls include low commitment of some of the members.

Lessons learnt:

o Transformation of schools in order to achieve sustainable learning outcomes of students requires the use of a multi-stakeholder approach involving the teachers, governing bodies, community leaders, parents and the students themselves focused on building a system that motivates teachers and makes them accountable.
o The right teaching methodology produces tangible results, reviving hope in teachers, parents and students to achieve successes; Conversely, wrong teaching methodologies lead to blame games between teachers and students.
o The school feeding program provides great incentive for the students to attend school regularly and helps in keeping them active in school. However, government must strengthen its monitoring and accountability measures in order to strictly ensure it is completely used for intended purpose
o Socio-economic backgrounds of parents/families influence learning outcomes of students though there are some exceptions.
o Increased application of learners’ centred activities in the classroom keeps children lively and attentive and helps them learn faster.
o When teaching methodologies are child centred, they become inspiring for children and teachers can earn their full cooperation in class, which motivates both teachers and students to work together with great optimism.

Challenges:

o Building the culture of collective responsibility takes time, because some major players including head teachers are quite slow and we do not have the powers to get them out. Some head teachers are not up to the task as others;
o Lack of incentives for the majority of the teachers who are not on pay roll prevent head teachers from subjecting them to accountability when not regularly performing their duties. Majority of teachers at the rural schools in the villages are volunteer teachers and not on pay roll.
o Special needs schools lack adequate specialised teachers and tools that they need to teach and effect learning. There is also lack of provision for higher/tertiary education for students with hearing impairment
o Poor school infrastructures provide poor learning environment that psychologically and physically affect children particularly during the rains
o Lack of commitment on the side of some parents to implement agreements from CTA/SMC meeting such as contributions towards initiatives that can engender improvement of learning among students undermine or restrain implementation of good initiatives
o Difficulty in achieving improvement of learning outcomes of 100% of the children probably because some children are faced with fundamental social and/or psychological difficulties that significantly undermine or block their academic progress
o Some governance and accountability issues are still quite challenging to address- e.g corruption in the school feeding scheme. The government is still weak to effectively play their monitoring and supervisory roles consistently.

Background

26 years, since 1991 we have been a leading actor in the justice sector and have significantly contributed to all justice sector reform processes after the civil war that ended in 2000. Throughout these years, we contribute to specific child justice policies and strategies as well as to ensure that child rights and child justice issues are prominently embedded in all justice reforms, frameworks and strategies. In 2024, following the expiration of the Sierra Leone’s Justice Sector Reform Strategy and Investment Plan IV (JSRSIP 2018-2023), the government of Sierra Leone developed the Justice Sector Reform Strategy (2024 -2030) to build upon the achievement of the JSRISP as well as efforts towards Sierra Leone’s attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal 16’s targets for peace, justice and inclusion (SDG16+) by 2030.

Unfortunately, despite this tremendous progress, access to justice remains problematic, especially for children in vulnerable situations and from deprived communities.

More boys than girls got in conflict with the law in both 2023 and 2024 and on the average over three quarter of them were detained by the police either given open detention or locked up in the cells mostly together with adults. Unfortunately, it was common to see a child detained in a police cell for more than 5 days, which violates both local (72 hours) and international standards (24 hours) even for non-felonious crimes like larceny.The Sierra Leone Constitution allows longer police detention of suspects up to 10 days only for cases that fall under capital offences (example homicide) and offences punishable by life imprisonment. In some cases children arrested and taken to the police were taken to the police cell without interrogation and it took more than a day before they were taken out and interviewed and then continued to stay in detention.

Generally, police handling of children was appalling from arrest, to interrogation and detention in cells under horrible conditions. The rights of children in conflict with the law have been violated by police officers mostly of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) most of whom have undergone no child rights training. Though section 57 of the Child Rights Act 2007 mandates the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police to investigate all matters concerning children whether as victims or in conflict with the law, in practice, the CID usually usurps this responsibility from the FSU. The FSU are relatively better in handling children and the police officers within the FSU should work alongside social workers from the Ministry of Social Welfare. Common violations and unlawful practices documented at the police include:

o Interviewing children without their parents/guardian or social worker
o Undue and prolonged detention including detention of children in cells in the midst of adults who bullied them

o Torture (being threatened to confess) including allowing complainants to get access to children in police custody and threaten them. This was reported by children at the Remand Home in Freetown who experienced this when they were in police custody
o Lack of adequate hygiene and food supplies
o Subjectively giving ages to children
o Subjecting children under the age of criminal responsibility (14 years) through criminal investigation as well as detaining them

In 2023 and 2024, 171 children and 122 children respectively were detained at the three penal institutions in Sierra Leone. On the average, about 15 to 25 children are usually detained at the Remand Home in Freetown and Bo respectively awaiting trial. The Bo Remand Home also serves children from Kenema, Pujehun and Moyamba districts due to lack of any child detention facilities in these districts. However, children who are usually brought from Pujehun, Kenema and Moyamba and kept in Remand Home in Bo would hardly be taken back to those places to attend court trials due to lack of transportation service and they often get stocked in the system. They are usually abandoned at the Remand Home until their court files get missing and their problems become more complicated. In Makeni, children on trial are usually detained at police cells. This is also practiced in Kenema and other places in the provinces and the practice is unlawful.

Unfortunately, some children have been tried in open courts with no respect to their right to privacy either because they were jointly charged and tried with adult(s) or were given adult ages by the police. Wrong and inconsistent methods of age verification were observed in both 2023 and 2024. During pretrial investigations, the police officers usually use their discretion to record the age of a child whenever the child fails to present her/his birth certificate or other identity documentation and children who have bigger physical looks stand at higher chances of being given adult age and treated at adult until the case gets to the court where it might be challenged by a lawyer if the child is represented by a legal aid lawyer. Even worse is the prosecution and trial of children below the age of criminal responsibility (14 years), which contravenes both international laws and the Sierra Leone Child Rights Act 2007. However, the Sexual Offences Act amended 2019 allows children under 14 years accused of crimes that fall under sexual offences to be brought before the law for investigation and trial.

Interventions

We held direct advocacy and lobby meeting with the Attorney General and Minister or Deputy Minister of Justice; presented issues at high level inter agency meetings like the Child Welfare Committee meeting hosted by the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Child Justice Taskforce meeting hosted by the Justice Sector Coordinating Office; organised media programs including issuing press release, organize press conference and carryout television and radio discussions; mobilised other CSOs through the Child Rights Coalition to engage public authorities and decision makers concerned; and communicated issues with influential partners like UNICEF that can support government’s reform programs.

Our Achievements:

o On a daily basis, our trained field officers, paralegals and social workers visit law enforcement and judicial institutions – police stations, courts and detention facilities across Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni to monitor and document the situations of children in conflict and/or in contact with the law and how are treated or cases progressed, giving consideration to both national and international minimum standards provided in the legal instruments. During monitoring visits, we interrogate both children in the custody of the law enforcement and judicial officials, the officials themselves and observe everything and record findings to prepare advocacy messages, targeting different stakeholders and decision makers, the media and also meeting platforms to trigger policy and practice change in the interest of children in conflict and in contact with the law. The following, indicates children in conflict with the law detained by the police (both FSU and CID) for both 2023 and 2024: Children in conflict with the law detained by the police (both FSU and CID)

Area	Male		Female		Total
	2023	2024	2023	2024	2023	2024
Freetown	913	1034	41	52	954	1075
Bo	512	578	17	25	529	603
Makeni	371	398	15	19	386	417
Kenema	412	398	18	19	430	417
Total	2208	2408	91	115	2299	2512

o In both 2024, we recorded 1 case of a child in Freetown who was prosecuted and tried for Unlawful Possession (a non-sexual offence) and was detained at the Remand Home in Freetown in the midst of an older boy who often bullied him. Though it doesn’t happen more often, it takes place in different jurisdictions across Sierra Leone. For sexual offences, DCI SL recorded the prosecution and trial of 8 and 6 boys under 16 years in 2023 and 2024 respectively tried in court for sexual offences.
o Expansion of courts- more courts have been established in Freetown, Bo and Kenema and other places with more magistrates, judges and state counsels recruited. Though the addition is not enough, it will help in reducing workload of existing courts and improve period of adjudication of matters
o Review of the Child Rights Act to address legal gaps concerning child justice and other issues. The new Child Rights bill is more comprehensive with new provisions that meet minimum international standards, which if passed into law will address major gaps in existing laws on child justice
o The rate of detention of children at police stations has significantly reduced despite the fact that major problems regarding treatment of children in police hands still prevail. The police is also now more approachable in negotiating for the release of children in conflict with the law as well as resorting to alternative dispute resolution practices compared to before. This is due to an increase in monitoring and accountability mechanisms.