In a letter dated Monday 26 January, 2026, Disability Rights Movement (DRIM) and the Adama Team Foundation (ATF) have formally expressed their deep disappointment, concern and outrage over the complete absence of persons with disabilities in the Constitution of Sierra Leone Amendment Act, 2025.
This omission, according to the letter, represents a grave injustice and stands in direct contradiction to the constitutional values of equity, inclusivity, dignity and social justice upon which our democracy is founded.
The exclusion of persons with disability from the constitutional amendment process is not only morally indefensible, but also inconsistent with the Persons with Disability Act, 2011, and the United Nations Conventions on the rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRP) landmark laws that mandates the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure the full participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of national life. The failure to reflect disability rights within the amended Constitution amounts to continued pattern of neglect and non-compliance with this Act and other international agreements and laws, the letter stated.
The letter furthered that their concerns, extended beyond the Constitution. “We are deeply troubled by the persistence of discriminatory and exclusionary provisions in several key pieces of legislation, including but not limited to the Electoral Act, the Local Government Act, and the Education Act. These laws, in their current form, continue to marginalize persons with disability and deny them equal accesses to political participation, governance, and education.”
Furthermore, the letter continued they reiterate their longstanding demand for the establishment of a standalone Ministry for Disability, noting that disability issues remain fragmented and deprioritized within existing ministerial structures. A dedicated ministry is essential to ensure focused leadership, accountability, and the effective mainstreaming of disability rights into national development planning to take immediate and decisive action by amending the Constitution to explicitly recognize, protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, establishing of a parliamentary committee specifically mandated to oversee, monitor the full implementation of the Persons with Disability Act, 2011, review and amending all discriminatory laws, policies, and regulations to align with the Persons with Disability Act 2011, and finally creation a standalone Ministry for Disability Affairs to provide strategic leadership and ensure disability inclusion is treated as a national priority.
