European delegation discusses human rights

| Wednesday September 22, 2010 00:00

 

The meeting drew participants from the Botswana Police, Lawyers, various local Non Governmental organisations representing minority groups, children rights, same sex groups, health and HIV/Aids, lawyers and the media.

The pioneering meeting reflected on a local strategy and ways of implementing the strategy in Botswana.In one of the sessions the meeting pondered on whether defenders felt secure and safe in the performance of their duties.

Some gave testimonies which suggested that they could have been targeted for attack for the work that they perform. The police, who were represented by the Deputy Commissioner, Kenny Kapinga, assured human rights defenders that the police will do everything in their power to ensure that they protect citizens and to ensure that no one in the service abuses and act with impunity.

With attorneys Dick Bayford and Duma Boko in attendance, the issue of extra-judicial killings was always going to feature.Some participants suggested that human rights should be taken to police chiefs and other leaders such as diKgosi and civic leaders.  Others suggested that magistrates and judges need to be inducted on human rights. The argument was that while it is generally assumed that these judicial officers are knowledgeable on human rights, they might be the ones in desperate need of a human rights induction.

Some human rights defenders were concerned that while government has ratified some progressive conventions they have taken time to translate these into domestic legislation. Scores of participants have hailed this meeting as the first major step not only to provide the human rights coalition with a forum but to try and help define and focus on human rights advocacy.