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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Sarah Johnson

Bid to overturn Sierra Leone loitering laws that activists claim ‘criminalise poverty’

People on the move in Sierra Leone’s capital  Freetown. Loitering is still punishable by law.
People on the move in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown. Loitering is still punishable by law. Photograph: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images

A case has been filed against the government of Sierra Leone to overturn the country’s loitering laws, which activists and lawyers claim are discriminatory, and used by police to extract bribes from people and sexually abuse women.

The laws are used to target poor and vulnerable people, say critics, and to subject them to criminal sanctions for potential conduct rather than actual harm caused.

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