My Experience at LAWYERS

By Wilbri John, Extern at LAWYERS

Working at LAWYERS has proved fruitful for me.  There are certain experiences I would not have had the opportunity to come in contact with except until my call to the bar.  LAWYERS deals with victims and the only opportunity I have to meet women in conflict with the law is through the legal education conducted in prisons. 

One of the cases I was involved in was a domestic violence case which resulted to grievous bodily harm.  The victim was a six year old girl who was beaten by her aunt with a stick on her back.  She later tied both her hands with a rope and used the same stick to hit both hands.  Both her hands were broken and she sustained several blood clots to the extent that she had to undergo surgery.  She cannot use both hands and she is going through a lot of pain.  The aunt is currently in custody in one of the rural areas of Freetown and is to be transferred to the Female Prisons where she will be held awaiting trial.  The matter is to be charged to court as soon as she arrives.

My challenge when I met this girl was not to break down but to remain professional and try to convince her to talk to me and to get her to trust me.  It is extremely difficult not to take such cases personal.