By Politico staff Writer
AdvocAid, a Civil Society Organisation in Sierra Leone is investigating the death of a 17-month-old baby in a police cell in Makeni, Northern Sierra Leone.
“AdvocAid will be investigating this matter further and calls on the Independent Police Complaints Board and Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone to also undertake an investigation,” the organisation said in a press release issued on the 27th December 2021.
According to the press release, the death of the child occurred after her mother was detained at a police station in Makeni on allegations that she stole a handbag.
The organisation has since called for the release of the mother from police custody and further advised the Ministry of Social Welfare to provide her with the needed psycho-social therapy for her loss.
AdvocAid believes that the offence said to have been committed by the mother was a ‘minor and non-violent offence’ for which they think that the woman should not have been detained especially with a baby.
“We also stress the need for petty offences (like such) to be decriminalised,” the organisation said. They further believe that the criminality of petty offences affects and target marginalised and poverty-stricken communities.
In addition, the organisation suggested that police should not detain pregnant women and women with young children in conformity with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and other international and local laws.
In tandem with this, the organisation has called on the government to ‘urgently’ review all cases of detained pregnant women and women with young children in the country.
They further urge the government to facilitate early releases of these women to prevent them from getting infected with COVID-19 since cases are on the increase.
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