Annex 3 Training, Sensitization and Dissemination of Information on Human Rights

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Annex 3 Training, Sensitization and Dissemination of Information on Human Rights

(1) THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (NHRC)

The European Union has granted a sum of EUR 200,000 over a period of 3 years to the NHRC to finance the implementation of the project ‘Promotion of Respect for Human Rights in Mauritius and Rodrigues’ in November 2017.

The NHRC and all its divisions are actively engaged in the promotion of human rights across the country. As such, it regularly holds in different Citizens Advice Bureaux, in community centers and in different institution to educate various target groups on human rights. From 2015 to April 2018 talks were held in Citizen Advice Bureau and Social Welfare Centres and some 3710 people were sensitized. Each year, the NHRC trains police officers and prisons officers and some 1152 police officers and prisons officers have received training. Talks were also delivered to some 446 member of staff of regional hospitals. The NHRC annually holds workshops for some 70 participants from different human rights institutions. It is also actively engaged in training people from the private sector and has trained 185 staff of management and supervisory level.

(2) EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION

Over the last few years the Equal Opportunities Commission has embarked on a major awareness campaign programme across the island with a view to sensitizing the public about the law on equal opportunities and the work of the Commission. As shown in the table below, more than 10 000 people have already been targeted through these awareness campaigns:

Sensitisation campaigns carried out YEAR

Number of sensitisation Campaigns

Number of persons sensitised

2012 49 2300

2013 82 4877

2014 35 2664

2015 9 500

2016 18 914

2017 17 384

2018 (as at 30 April 2018) 3 491

Total 213 12130

2 (3) OMBUDSPERSON FOR THE CHILDREN’S OFFICE

Below is a table which shows the number of sensitisation programmes and the number of persons sensitised which have been carried out each year from August 2013 to as at date (11

June 2018):

Year Number of sensitisation

programmes

Number of persons sensitised

August 2013 – July 2014 72 1158

August 2014 – July 2015 51 1346

August 2015 – July 2016 124 3874

August 2016 – July 2017 95 11000

August 2017 – as at date (11

June 2018) 109 12500

(4) TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS

Training and workshops attended by members of the Police Force during year 2016 are as follows:

(a) Courses delivered on Human Rights (including prevention of torture) in year 2016;

Year 2016 From To No. of Participants

Inspectors’ Development Course (2 batches) 02.05.16 28.07.16 173 Sergeants’ Development Course (5 batches) 09.05.16 03.12.16 378 TPCs Foundation Course (1/2016)

15.07.16 17.12.16

188 (89 TWPCs & 99 TPCs) Continuation Training for SMF Probationers 05.09.16 22.10.16 192

Total 931

TPC: Trainee Police Constables; TWPC: Trainee Women Police Constables.

(b) Courses/Workshops delivered on Trafficking in Persons in year 2016

Year 2016 No. of Participants

Workshop on Trafficking in Persons (Lecture delivered by representatives from the Office of DPP)

194 (Senior Police Officers at mid and strategic level) Inspectors’ Development Course (2 batches) and

Sergeants’ Development Course (5 batches) Lecture on Organised crime and Trafficking in Persons

173

Front Line Police Officers 378

Total 745

3 (c) The National Human Rights Commission provides more informal training through talks and short videos on

human rights and torture. Talks are given to recruits and to officers already in post, especially those in charge of police stations. The National Preventive Mechanism Division of the NHRC sensitises prisons officers on the need for a human rights approach towards detainees during meetings and visits to Prisons.

The Istanbul Protocol is used as a reference document and source of materials for training.

(5) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ON HUMAN RIGHTS BY THE STATE

(a) From 2011 to 2017, the responsibility for Human Rights fell under the PMO’s office and the following activities have been effected:

(i) The Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the National Development Unit, the National Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsperson for Children, and the Equal Opportunities Commission have carried out sensitisation sessions on human rights in all Citizen’s Advice Bureaus around the island. Some 4160 participants from NGOs, women’s associations, vulnerable groups have so far been sensitised;

(ii) The Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the NHRC and the Equal Opportunities Commission has implemented a Human Rights Education Programme in all youth centres around the island reaching out about 500-750 youths each year. The Human Rights Education Programme was conducted in 4 sessions whereby emphasis was laid on, inter alia, the basic Human Rights, Human Rights treaties to which Mauritius is a party, the Constitution of the Republic of Mauritius and on Human Rights Institutions. Resource persons included personnel of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Mauritius Police Force, Lawyers, and the Ombudsperson for Children. Around 1555 youths have been reached through this programme from 2011 to 2015; and

(iii) The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP)has, since December 2015, participated in various Inter-Ministerial Committees in relation to human trafficking offences. In 2016, the ODPP, in collaboration with the US Embassy and the International Organisation for Migration, provided a training course to various stakeholders on investigation and prosecution of ‘trafficking in persons’ offences. Two workshops were organized in 2017 with a view to understand the vulnerability of witnesses in such cases.

A total of 30 people were trained.

(b) Promotion of human rights through the mass media has been carried out as follows:

(i) The Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission and the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation presented a series of TV programme on Human Rights in order to sensitise the population about their rights in 2013 and 2014. The programme was previously broadcasted once every fortnight. From August to December 2015 the programme was being broadcasted on a weekly basis; and

(ii) To provide for better information on human rights, a Human Rights Portal

(http://humanrights.govmu.org) has been developed and is now maintained by the newly created Ministry of

Justice and Human rights in December 2017.The website of the Ministry will be redesigned to be to allow

for a better dissemination of human rights information and a new communication strategy to address the

human rights issues will be devised.