Section 11, The Child Right Act, 2007

(1) The object for which the Commission is established isto monitor and coordinate the implementation of the Convention and the Charter; to oversee the implementation of Part III of this Act; and to advise Government on policies aimed at the improvement of the condition or welfare of children in Sierra Leone, compatible with the Convention and the Charter. (2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), it shall be the function of the Commission to - (a) keep under review legislation and customary law practices relating to children with a view to advising Government, where appropriate, to adopt legislation and other measures so as to ensure their compatibility generally with the principles and provisions of the Convention and the Charter, in particular, the general principles contained in articles 2, 3, 6 and 12 of the Convention; (b) to undertake a progressive study and review of the principle of the best interests of the child with a view to advising Government and other State institutions on the criteria for the 8 9 Disclosure of interest. application of that principle generally and in relation to particular circumstances having a bearing on the respect for the rights of the child, including the right to be protected from economic exploitation; (c) to contribute to the process of the decentralization of authority to the districts and other local levels with regard the process of ensuring that every child is registered at birth, and has access to health-care and free basic education, including the provision of adequate school facilities, materials and trained teachers in the rural areas; (d) to seek and mobilize international support towards the implementation of the Convention and the Charter by governmental and non-governmental organizations, with special reference to the problem of discrimination against women and children and the provision of facilities for the prevention and proper management of juvenile delinquency; (e) to undertake the wide dissemination of the Convention and the Charter generally and through professional training, adult education and child rights promotional activities aimed especially at the registration of births, elimination of forced marriages for girls, female genital mutilation, sexual abuse and economic exploitation of children; (f) to engage in advocacy for a just and progressive system of juvenile justice, to promote the use of imprisonment of children as a last resort and the use of alternatives to the imprisonment of children and to advise Government with regard to bringing existing legislation into harmony with the relevant international legal instruments on juvenile justice; (g) to issue reports, including recommendations, on child rights in Sierra Leone, and (h) to do all other things as will be conducive to the attainment of the object stated in subsection (1). (3) In this section, “Government” includes the Ministry.