A/HRC/25/58/Add.1 48. In discussions with the Chief Justice, the Human Rights Commission and the Law Reform Commission, the Special Rapporteur heard about the complicated process of implementing the 2011 Local Courts Act, which aims at streamlining the country’s fragmented court system. While in theory all courts now operate under the authority of the High Court and the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, the bifurcation of courts functioning under formal statutes and customary laws, respectively, still persists in practice. This leads to enormous problems in the safeguarding of habeas corpus rights and human rights in general. 49. Moreover, some TRC recommendations concerning the disadvantaged position of women and girls still need to be fully implemented. Again, this has to do with the weakness of existing implementation mechanisms. Although the Government has taken initiatives to prevent child pregnancy and early marriage, the illiteracy rate for women and girls continues to be considerably higher than that of men and boys. Many women continue to marry at a very young age, thereby losing educational opportunities. D. Rebuilding the nation 50. The huge political challenges that Sierra Leoneans face are obvious. Despite impressive economic growth, the country remains one of the economically poorest in the world and still has a high illiteracy rate. This hampers the development of an efficient State infrastructure, which in turn would be a precondition for investing trust in public institutions and overcoming the danger of renewed fragmentation along regional or ethnic lines. In the ongoing process of rebuilding the nation, religious communities play a crucial role. 51. The TRC report already points to the surprising fact that religious communities succeeded in keeping out of the vicious dynamic of the civil war. Whereas in many other countries, religious difference has become an aggravating factor of fragmentation and conflict escalation, in Sierra Leone religion has helped to unite — or rather reunite — the nation. As explained above, religious diversity and unity are widely perceived as constituting two sides of the same coin. The TRC final report thus recommends that religious communities take a lead in reintegrating ex-combatants, including child soldiers. While Christian and Islamic communities have used education and religious and moral edification to serve this purpose, representatives of traditional African religion have also resorted to cleansing rituals, such as the burning of old clothes, to mark symbolically a person’s new beginning. 52. The TRC repeatedly points to the significant contribution of the Inter-Religious Council, including its regional branches in all districts of the country. While the InterReligious Council had already existed before the civil war, its authoritative role became more pronounced during the process of reconciliation after 2002. The leading figures of the Council see themselves as “moral guardians” of society, tasked with keeping the country together. While generally showing optimism concerning the peaceful future of the country, they also expressed an awareness that the amicable relations between religious communities need further cherishing, not least in the face of growing religious extremism in neighbouring countries and the general weakness of public institutions. V. Conclusions and recommendations 53. In various gatherings which the Special Rapporteur attended in Freetown and Moyamba, participants from government institutions, religious communities and civil society organizations over and over again expressed their conviction that Sierra Leone 14