In the provincial area, land belongs to the people and so what actually exists is communal land ownership. The acquisition and dispensation of such land is in accordance with customary law of the land and the Provincial Land Property Act. In the case of compulsory purchase of property or acquisition of property, owners of such property are compensated. The concern however is that these landowners are not adequately compensated when such incidences occur. Another area of concern is that there is no standard method of computing compensation in such cases. As such there is disparity in the compensation received by various owners of land who lose their property to forced acquisition of land. Recently, there are incidences of displacements of people from property acquired in the interest of the public. Massive roadwork is currently being undertaken in Freetown. Wilkinson Road, one of the main roads in Freetown, is currently under reconstruction. This has led to the forceful removal of occupants and homeowners owners of properties situate on the maid road from their properties. The home owners and landowners of such properties were not compensated in monetary terms but a promise was made to rebuild all walls that were broken as a result of demolition. Also, these people were not relocated but were left to relocate themselves. For the roadwork in the mountain areas, occupants who resided in this area in the east were relocated to Yams Farm, another location in the east end of Freetown where there is availability of basic amenities including schools. There is also another ongoing incidence at Kroo Bay, one of the biggest slums in the country. Occupants are currently being asked to relocate to another area by the government who will be responsible for their relocation in the interest of public safety, public health and development. Occupants are however insistent on staying where they are. This matter is yet to be settled. In the Gola Forest area also, people were moved out of their lands and homes in the interest of conservation and they compensated. Sometimes, the activities carried out on the land have negative effects on the environment especially when the land is acquired for the purpose of mining. In most mining areas such as Kono and Sierra Rutile in the Moyamba District, the land can no longer be used after mining for agricultural purposes. Rather, such lands become breeding ground for mosquitoes. During the NPRC regime reported cases of forceful acquisition of land spiralled, leading to an upsurge in the number of complaints from disenchanted legitimate landowners. This also took place during the reparation of people and the building of schools, hospitals, court barrays, and other basic facilities undertaken by the National Commission for Social Action (NACSA) after the war. As a whole, there is unequal access to property in Sierra Leone. Article 15 The right of individuals to work under equitable and satisfactory conditions and to receive equal pay for equal work. 18

Select target paragraph3