Also, the Councilors had secured office space for the Bureau. This followed series of meetings the Community Outreach Assistant for the Board, Ben Turay had with stakeholders in these Wards to raise-awareness on the function of the Bureau in promoting access to justice and by extension peaceful coexistence in the community. ‘My first task was to have the stakeholders in the various Wards take ownership of the Bureaus through sensitization,’ Ben Turay said.
The Councilors include Ahmed Samba Turay – Ward 368, Mariatu Kamara – Ward 391, Abdul R. Jalloh – Ward 339, Mohamed S. Turay – Ward 357, Abdul K. Turay – Ward 394, Ishmail Sesay – 361, Percy Nicholson, – Ward 393, Thaimu Bangura – Ward 351, Mary Kamara – Ward 346 and Abu Bakar Kamara – Ward 348.
The Councilor for Ward 339 in the Tombo community, Abdul Jalloh noted the challenges they face with the police and the alternative dispute resolution services in the community in terms of cost, right issues and access. He said they believe the Bureau will change things for the better.
The Executive Director of the Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles lauded the Councilors for taking the lead in establishing the Bureaus in their Wards. ‘Securing office space for the Bureau is an important first step at establishing the Bureau in your Ward,’ Ms. Claire Carlton-Hanciles told the Councilors. ‘Now that you have gone a step further to select those who should run the Bureau, we should be able to work out the logistics and have the Bureaus up and running as soon as possible.’
Even though the Bureaus will be run on a voluntary basis, Ms. Claire Carlton-Hanciles assured the councilors that the Board’s will provide the support to ensure they are sustainable. She stressed the importance of the Bureaus in expanding access to justice in the various communities.
Explaining the functions of the Board, he said the Bureaus will settle minor community level disputes which would otherwise be taken to the police. In addition, they will have an employment unit which will help young people with finding jobs. She said the Bureaus will refer matters they cannot handle to the police or other relevant institutions.
