227,185 pupils from 435 Junior and Senior Secondary Schools (52 in Bombali; 50 in Port Loko; 44 in Kono; 49 in Kenema; 93 in Western Area Rural and 147 in Western Area Urban Districts) benefitted from the UN Peace Building Fund and UNICEF project to the Legal Aid Board’s Anti Election Violence Campaign.
The project is a component of the Campaign which is dedicated to school outreach to educate pupils on the electoral laws to ensure peaceful elections.
Some of the Cities and towns covered in the Campaign include the following: Bombali District – Makeni, Pate Bana, Makump Bana, Masuba, Binkolo, Kalangba town, Kamabai, Manjoro, Gbendembu, Kamaranka and Royema; Port Loko District – Port Loko city, Rotinfunk, Rogbere junction, Masiaka, Songo, Tagrin Tintafor, Lungi town, Pepel, Lungi Lol, Malekuray, Mange and Kagbantama; Kenema District – Blama, Boama, Panguma, Tongo, Kenema city, Sembehun, Boajibu, Kpandebu and Ngegbema and Kono District – Kayima, Yormadu, Sewafeh, Bumpeh, Kainkordu, Koakoeyima, Bamdasuma, Tombodu, Bunabu, Ngondorhun, Koardu, etc.
Schools in the other 10 districts also benefitted from the campaign even though they were not among districts targeted for the UN Peace Building Fund and UNICEF funded project.
The pupils were educated on the Public Election Act, 2022 with particular reference to the Electoral Offences such as destroying posters of opponents, wrongful voting, disorderly conduct at elections, voting by unregistered persons, impersonation, buying and selling voter registration cards and prevention of election by force among others.
‘With this information at their disposal, pupils avoided falling foul of the electoral offences, it also saw a reduction in community level disputes resulting from intolerance and destroying posters of their opponents,’ the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles said. ‘We also succeeded in energizing pupils of voting age to participate in the electoral processes and turn out to vote.’
