By J. Brock (FINN)
The Human Rights Capacity Building Project for the UK Overseas Territories is proposing a schedule for human rights awareness training in the week beginning 30 November. It is proposed that the training would take place after similar classes in Ascension so their sessions would be completed before the first week of December.
Training on the Falkland Islands may include a General Session about Human Rights so that participants could gain foundation/building blocks about human rights. This includes what human rights are, where they are found at the international level and which rights apply to the Falkland Islands
Coverage should also include the difference between a political and civil rights and economic, social and culture rights and how rights work in practice, ie: those rights which can never be limited (absolute rights) and those which may be limited (qualified and limited rights). For those rights which can be limited, how to limit them (legitimate, proportional, and necessary etc.)
Further classes on what happens when two rights conflict which each other balancing of rights (ie: individual v individual/individual v community) and where to find these rights at the national level (Fundamental Rights Chapter of the Constitution) and the interrelationship of the Constitution with rights at the International level) will also be held should the project go ahead.
Part two will include a special session according to the group participating in training session with the aim of using the second part of the training session to address the particular needs of the individual groups in order to enable them to applying rights in practice/in their work.
The groups taking the training could include participants from the different government departments learning about the different steps needed to include rights in policy, when revising policy/drawing up new policy and participants from groups involved in Court process exploring the right to an effective remedy and how this and the process is included in the Constitution.
Participants from members of Legislative Assembly could investigate the role of participants in protecting rights and in ensuring laws comply with rights and Non-governmental organisations and community based groups, faith based groups: could explore the role of civil society participation in democratic process and in protecting rights, exploring the different tools available to raise awareness about rights and to bring about change.
The teaching profession participants would see how to include Human Rights Capacity in lesson planning and curriculum, using different teaching techniques in relation to rights and developing school policy and Media participants will be encouraged to develop their role in reporting on rights & examination of freedom of expression.
Further information can be obtained from: Stephanie Aiyagari | CHRI London Representative Overseas Territories Project, 50 Broadway, St. Jamess Park, London, SW1H 0RG, UK EMAIL: s.aiyagari@btinternet.com TEL: +44(0)20 7152 4000| FAX: +44(0) 20 7152 4001
Please visit www.OTscapacityCHRI.org to see what work is being done by the organisation.
