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Volunteering in Sierra Leone
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At the beginning of
recess
Sadiq became one of the first MPs volunteer as part of
Project PolVol, a VSO programme enabling MPs to volunteer
during the summer recess.
You can read about Sadiq's experience in his blog
HERE
Sadiq used his background in human rights and his
political expertise to support the Centre for Democracy and
Human Rights in Sierra Leone to develop their policy and
lobbying expertise.
Peace
Sierra Leone is six years out of its ten-year civil war and
a last year’s peaceful national elections offered the whole
country hope for a stable future. But there remains a great
deal of work to be done dealing with war crimes in the newly
created Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In addition to
this there remain further unsettled human rights issues,
such as the protracted detention of remand prisoners.
Promoting good governance
In Sierra Leone Sadiq shared his skills and experiences with
the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights. The Centre
monitors and reports on cases of human rights abuses and
violation. It also provides legal services for human rights
cases and ensures cases progress to court. It promotes good
governance by actively engaging in civic education and
promoting accountability and transparency.
Background in human rights
Prior to becoming the MP for Tooting, Sadiq was a leading
Human Rights solicitor, and was a founding partner of one of
the country's principal Human Rights firms. In addition to
his legal experience, Sadiq Khan was also the Chair of
Liberty for three years. As Vice Chair of Legal Action Group
he gave advice to a number of the country's major voluntary
and community groups.
Getting involved
Commenting on his placement before he left Sadiq said,
"The UK played a key role in bringing peace to Sierra Leone
but ongoing support for development is crucial. One of the
biggest criticisms of the West in their dealings with
developing countries is that we don’t support countries
enough in peace building and post-conflict rebuilding. But
getting involved in developing civil society and helping
individuals and organisations in developing the skills
needed to enjoy a peaceable society is as important as
helping to stop civil war.
Back in Tooting
"Many of my constituents are from West Africa and many
of our church and faith groups support development in Africa
and campaigns such as the Jubilee Debt Campaign. As a result
of volunteering I will be able to raise awareness of the
work VSO does and have greater understanding of the issues
that matter to my constituents."
For more information about
Sadiq's visit, and the VSO, please visit
www.vso.org.uk or click
HERE
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