Executive Director’s Message

Welcome to the official website of Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law (CARL-SL). CARL is an independent, not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote a just society for all persons in Sierra Leone, through monitoring institutions of accountability, outreach and advocacy for institutional transparency, capacity building and empowerment of citizens.CARL has its origin in the Special Court Monitoring Group (SCMG), which was established in May 2004 as a partnership project of the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Coalition for Justice and Accountability (COJA) to exclusively monitor and produce objective reporting on proceedings before the Court for both local and international community.

The Special Court was established in 2002 as an international tribunal of mixed jurisdiction and composition, pursuant to an agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone. It is mandated to prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law committed in the territory of Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996.

The Special Court Monitoring Group (SCMG) was renamed the Sierra Leone Court Monitoring Programme (SLCMP) in August 2005, as its monitoring activities were expanded to include the domestic courts. By 2007, SLCMP’s activities had expanded to include outreach and advocacy for legislative reforms, access to justice for all, among others. The organization was, therefore, renamed the Center for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) in 2008 to reflect its broad mission.

CARL also monitors the functioning of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to investigate allegations of corruption particularly in the public sector. Although the Commission is making strong efforts at combating corruption in the country, there is still need to “watch the watchman”. This is why CARL monitors the functioning of the Commission, and provides regular updates on its activities.

Over the last 15 years, CARL has led a number of initiatives aimed at consolidating peace and democracy in Sierra Leone. In addition to its efforts at ensuring justice and accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes, CARL has also contributed immensely to legal and institutional reforms in order to help protect vulnerable sections of the population. As part of its accountability programme, CARL has implemented a number of projects aimed at fostering accountability and justice for police brutality. CARL’s law reform and access to justice work has enabled it to contribute in a significant way to reviewing old laws and passing new ones. In the last five years, CARL and its partners have been implementing a project that seeks to decriminalize “petty offences” that disproportionately affect poor and young people. Offences such as loitering and minor traffic offences largely affect women and young people. Thanks in part to financial support by the UN Peacebuilding Fund, CARL is currently working with state actors to amend the Criminal Procedure Act, 1965 to help reduce the risks that the current law exposes young people to. One of the reforms sought is to expand the sentencing guidelines to include alternative sentencing, especially for minor offences, including traffic offences. Through networks and alliances, CARL has also contributed to promoting good governance by undertaking advocacy for institutional strengthening and transparency, initiatives for violence-free elections, voter education programmes, and effective public finance management, among others. We also support capacity building initiatives for civil society organisations and citizens.

CARL has three offices across the country, including its headquarters in Freetown, and three regional offices in Makeni and Bo.

On behalf of the Board and staff of CARL, I would like to thank all our partners for your financial and technical support. We will continue to work collaboratively with state, non-state actors and community-level leaders and citizens to address the challenges that confront access to justice, human rights and equality, effective administration of rule of law, citizen participation in governance. The challenges immense, but we are proud of what we have been able to achieve as a collective and we will continue to rely on your support to make our country and the world a better place. Thank you for your support!