Sierra Leone Human Rights
Human Rights Concerns
Stability and security have increased in Sierra Leone since 2002 with the end of the country's decade-long war. In a November 2007 Presidential election widely regarded as free and fair, Ernest Koroma of the All People's Congress defeated the sitting Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party. The Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is trying leaders from the civil war of the 1990s, completed three trials convicting seven individuals of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor continues.Genital mutilation remains prevalent in the country. Rape and domestic violence cases need more aggressive prosecution, and women need better access to justice and healthcare. The maternal mortality rate in Sierra Leone is one of the highest in the world. Finally, Sierra Leoneans face grinding poverty. Economic justice eludes them.
Take Action: Join the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The large number of maternal deaths in Sierra Leone reflects the paucity of the health system (lack of trained and motivated staff, insufficient drugs and medical supplies etc), the costs of healthcare being beyond most women's means and women's low status and lack of decision-making authority within families.
Please send a message of solidarty to the women and dedicated health workers of Sierra Leone. Please write a short note of encouragement on this postcard form and mail it to Amnesty International Sierra Leone, which will deliver them to the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital. The section's address is:
Amnesty International Sierra Leone
PO Box 1021
Freetown
Sierra Leone
The messages will be posted on the exterior wall of Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in mid-January. Please add your voice.
Maternal Mortality in Sierra Leone
Amnesty International is campaigning for the right to maternal health in Sierra Leone, where one in eight women die during pregnancy or childbirth. Cost is a crucial barrier to maternal health care.
» Read blog posts from Sierra Leone
» Read the report
» TAKE ACTION: Maternal Mortality in Sierra Leone. Amnesty International is campaigning for the right to maternal health in Sierra Leone, where one in eight women die during pregnancy or childbirth. You can assist us by signing our petition to President Koroma.
UPDATE: Great news for global justice
In 2007, the Special Court for Sierra Leone completed the trials of leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and Civil Defense Force convicting the five defendants of war crimes, violations of humanitarian law and crimes against humanity. In a landmark ruling, the Special Court issued the first ever convictions for the crime of child recruitment. The trial of leaders from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) is due to conclude in 2008. The trial of Charles Taylor, Liberia’s former President who supported the RUF, continues. Three years after being originally indicted, Charles Taylor was brought into custody to face the 11 charged of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read the transcript of the online discussion | Learn more »
Latest News
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Special Court Renders Final Judgment in RUF CaseOctober 26, 2009
Sierra Leone: Amnesty International Finds "Human Rights Emergency" in High Rate of Women's Deaths During Pregnancy and Childbirth
September 24, 2009
Sierra Leone: Thousands unite to end maternal mortality in Sierra Leone
September 23, 2009
Sierra Leone: VIDEO: Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone
September 22, 2009
Sierra Leone: Maternal death rate in Sierra Leone is a
September 21, 2009
Sierra Leone: That One in Eight Women Risk Dying During Pregnancy or Childbirth is a Human Rights Emergency
September 21, 2009
Latest Reports
Out of Reach: The Cost of Maternal Health in Sierra LeoneOctober 08, 2009
Vital UN human rights work under threat
May 09, 2007
Sierra Leone: Women face human rights abuses in the informal legal sector
May 17, 2006
Sierra Leone: Special Court for Sierra Leone: Issues for consideration regarding the location of the trial of Charles Taylor
April 05, 2006
