AdvocAid has condemned the tragic loss of the life of a 17-month-old baby who died in a police cell in Makeni, Boxing Bay while being detained with her mother.
The deceased baby’s mother had been arrested on allegations of stealing a handbag.
AdvocAid has repeatedly called for pregnant women and women with young children not to be detained and instead to be supported through alternatives to incarceration such as community support, mediation or diversion.
Noting that this is in line with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Article 30), UN Standards for the Treatment of Female Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Rule 64), and Sierra Leone’s Bail Regulations 2018.
According to AdvocAid this mother was arrested for a minor, non-violent offence and should not have been detained, especially with a young baby.
In a press release dated 27 December 2021, AdvocAid calls for the police to immediately and unconditionally release the mother and for the Ministry of Social Welfare to provide the required medical and psycho-social support.
The press statement also disclosed that AdvocAid will be investigating the matter further and calls on the Independent Police Complaints Board and the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone to also undertake an
investigation.
Furthermore, AdvocAid calls on the government to urgently review all cases of
pregnant women and women with young children detained in police stations and correctional facilities across the country. “We urge the Government to facilitate early releases of this group of women as a COVID-19 prevention measure given the increasing infection rates…”
The need for petty offences to be decriminalised, which disproportionately target marginalised communities and criminalise poverty was also stressed by AdvocAid.
