On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Sierra Leone LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Sierra Leone country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Sierra Leone COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Sierra Leone.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Sierra Leone is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Sierra Leone acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1981. Moreover, Sierra Leone acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in 2016. Together, these two treaties form the foundation of the international legal framework to address statelessness, a phenomenon which continues to adversely affect the lives of millions of people around the world. It
should be noted that although Sierra Leone is State party to the 2009 African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, the country has not yet transposed the Kampala Convention into national Law.
The main national legal instrument with regards to refugees and asylum-seekers is the 2007 Refugee Protection Act (Sierra Leone Gazette vol. CXXXVIII, n° 42 30th August). An eligibility committee and an appeal committee are in charge of refugee
status determination. The National Commission of Social Action (NaCSA) is the implementer of the 2007 Refugees Protection Act, and the Instance in charge to provide protection and assistance for refugees and asylum seekers.
Click here to see the full 2007 Refugee Protection Act.
Legal aid organisations
Head Office, Freetown
Address: 1st floor, 1 Bright Street Brookfields, Freetown
Tel.: +232 (0) 72384771
+232 (0) 72384771
Kenema Regional Office
Address: 2 Sannoh Street
Tel.: +232 (0) 72384772
Makeni Regional Hub
Address: 3 Roke Street
Tel.: +232 (0) 72384776
Click here to send AdvocAid a message.
AdvocAid works with girls and women caught up in Sierra Leone’s unjust legal system. One of the only organisation in West Africa, Advocaid provide holistic access to justice via free legal representation, education empowerment, detainee support and a moving forward programme, ensuring detainees leave as stronger women with brighter prospects.
Address: Center for Human Rights, 19 Main Road Congo Town, Freetown
Tel:+232 33 98 18 68 or +232 33 87 63 59
Email: ibkpasha@yahoo.com
Contact Person: Ibrahim Badamasi Kamara, LLB, LLM, Director
The Centre for Human Rights (CFHR) is a national human rights NGO located in Freetown. CFHR’s mission is to enhance human rights, good governance, and the rule of law, using a combination of law and advocacy. CFHR focuses on legal aid, access to justice, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive rights, juvenile justice, HIV/AIDS, environment and developmental issues. Their services include pro bono legal services, psychosocial counselling, public interest litigation, and advocacy.
Website
Address: Chariot Eight: 51A MainMotor Road, Wilberforce, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Email: info@cheight.com or bchaytor@cheight.com
Chariot Eight law firm is a general corporate practice law firm providing a spectrum of legal services to national and international clients. Ms Chaytor can provide assistance to lawyers representing asylum seekers through confirming Sierra Leonean legal documents and by providing general legal information about Sierra Leone.
Website
Address: 29 Wilkinson Road, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: +41 22 739 7292
Email: slefr@unhcr.org
See here for UNHCR updates and reports on their work in Sierra Leone.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Address: 12 Kamara Street Lunsar
Tel: +232 76 73 85 17, +232 30810 998, +23276 292852
Email: aimsl2001@yahoo.co.uk
AIM is an independent women’s rights organization with the main focus of ending FGM/C.
Website
Address: New Signal hill road, 18A Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: +232 22 234 244
Email: iomfreetown@iom.int
The International Organization for Migration signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone in April 2001 and has been operating in the country ever since. In the aftermath of the 10-year civil war, IOM Sierra Leone in close partnership with relevant line ministries has been engaged in programming centered on the reintegration of refugees, government capacity building, community stability and social cohesion, counter trafficking, diaspora engagement, reparations to war victims and livelihoods training activities.
Sierra Leone LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone COI
Find Sierra Leone Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023