Centre for Applied Human Rights
Sahr Yillia
Liberia, CAHR, Autumn 2013
I am a Liberian/Sierra Leonean human rights defender born in 1982 and became blind as a result of measles. Due to the negative African perspective that disabilities are caused by the ancestors there was an attempt by some African traditionalists to kill me on the pretext that my presence in society was a sign of bad luck and also an annoyance to the ancestors which could have affected all forms of development within that society. Thanks to the efforts of my parents and their conviction about the right to life they escaped with me to Sierra Leone for safety which is where I spent the rest of my childhood.
My passion and motivation in becoming a human rights defender with specific focus on disability rights stemmed from the above factors, as I was determined to find solutions in changing the status quo. As a result I have for the past more than twelve years been working extensively in Sierra Leone and Liberia on various local initiatives, which include research advocacy and campaigns before, during and after the fourteen years civil conflict and finding credible solutions to the prevailing situation. Additionally, I have participated in other international workshops and seminars concerning research and policy issues and development for persons with disabilities in India, South Korea, Ghana, Kenya etc. These include the negotiating and drafting stages of the current UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).
As a human rights defender with a disability I continue to face more challenges in pursuing this cause.
As a human rights defender with a disability I continue to face more challenges in pursuing this cause. These include harassment, intimidation, and written and physical attacks on a constant basis. Two years ago I sustained a physical assault by some unknown attackers who stabbed me on the right side of my stomach and ruptured my appendix. My life was saved by two successful surgical operations. More recently, while I was on my way to the UK my family came under sustained attack at our residence and they are currently at a different location as their lives were considered to be at risk since the attackers left a leaflet threatening their safety. However, I am glad to be selected among the ten human rights defenders on the 2013/2014 Protective Fellowship Scheme offered by the CAHR. I am currently a visiting fellow working on a project entitled “Promoting Accessibility for Inclusive Development for Persons with Disabilities through the use of Assistive Technologies” and the slogan for this campaign is: meeting more people means serving more needs.