Kofi Roberts, a student at Sierra Leone Grammar School in SSS 1 (Science 2), has appealed directly to President Julius Maada Bio. He said, “Because of the delay in enacting the revised Child Rights Act, we, the children of Sierra Leone, are in pain; we feel left out because, to this day, the revised Child Rights Act has still not been passed into law by our Parliament. This is why we are calling on you, our President, to please use your power and save us from abuse and violence.”
Roberts made these remarks during an interview with this medium on Tuesday, 11 April 2023. He explained that the revised Act would protect children from inhuman and indecent abuse of all forms, including corporal punishment, domestic violence, and sexual violence. He believes that once enacted, the law would pave the way for a better and more promising future for Sierra Leone’s children. He urged Members of Parliament, especially those on the Child Welfare Committee, to “please, please, please… pass the revised Child Rights Act into law.”
Roberts also called on President Bio to address the plight of children in Sierra Leone, noting that although the President has done much for the nation’s youth, encouraging MPs to pass the revised Act “would be his crowning glory.”
Providing background on the review process, Hassan Fuad Kanu, Director of the Youth and Children Advocacy Network (YACAN), spoke from his Fort Street office in Freetown on the same day. He explained that the initiative began in 2016 when YACAN and other civil‑society organizations identified serious gaps in the 2007 Child Rights Act that needed to be bridged. Between 2016 and 2018, they succeeded in drawing the attention of relevant authorities and securing a review of the necessary provisions.
Kanu added that the bill is currently with the Legislative Committee and used the opportunity to appeal to MPs to pass the revised legislation, emphasizing that doing so would make children’s lives safer and more secure.
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