June 2, 2021
By: Aruna Kamara (Bo)
The Chairperson of the Social Welfare and Gender Committee of the Bo City Council, Councilor Adam Sherriff have said that they have found out that there are no training facilities at the Female Correctional Center in Bo.
While addressing the council meeting held at the Councils Chamber last week, Councilor Sherriff said that they visited the female correctional center and they were surprise to note that it lacks training facilities, which according to her, is a serious concern that needs to be speedily looked into.
She went on to say that the council should also be involved in the raising of awareness on child trafficking and the day of African Child, June 16.
Councilor Sheriff said that the Ministry of Social welfare needs to be helped with office equipment to enable the staff discharge their duties in a professional manner.
Reacting to the lack of training facilities at the female Correctional Center, the Public Relations Officer of the Bo Correctional Services in the south, Victor Wilson said that the female inmates are constrained with training facilities in order to help reform them.
He said that there is not much training facility at the Female Correctional Center in Bo as they only have Gara Tie Dying and Bid making facilities.
Mr. Wilson said that they have advocated for them to humanitarian and Non-Governmental Organizations to come to their aid but to no avail.
Some human right defenders in Bo told this medium that the director of the Sierra Leone Correctional Services should ensure that he decentralizes the training opportunities for Female inmates in Bo, as Freetown in not Sierra Leone.
They said the government needs to focus on the female Correctional center in Bo to ensure that inmates benefit from the facilities in Freetown.