Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and partner, Lawyers without Boarders Canada (LWBC), hosted the workshop at the Knutsford Court Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica on June 26 and 27 with funding support from the European Union. Both government and non-government agencies attended with 37 representatives of 24 organisations. Specifically, government organisations, such as, INDECOM and the Office of the Public Defender, and NGOs, Hear the Children Cry, Aids-Free World, Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights and others, along with Norman Manley Law School students, Human Rights activists, attorneys at law, including former IACHR Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, were present.
LWBC freelancers Jean-Sébastien Clément, Gowlings’ Montreal partner, and Christopher Campbell-Duruflé, B.C.L./LL.B. (McGill) LL.M. (Notre Dame), current fellow attorney at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in Washington, D.C led and facilitated the sessions.
Guided by the new guidebook, ENGAGING IN STRATEGIC HUMAN RIGHTS LITIGATION IN THE CARIBBEAN that was jointly developed by JFJ and LWBC, the trainers addressed the audience on significant related topics, provided relevant training involving legal tactics, and engaged feedback and lively discussion. Areas of concentration included, Litigating Comparative Experiences of Human Rights in the Caribbean, Progress made in Human Rights Litigation in the Caribbean, Legal Approaches to Human Rights Cases, Best Practices, Legal Remedies and Methodological Considerations in Building Case Profiles, Seeking External Support, and Accessing the Inter-American Human Rights System.
Following the workshop evaluations were offered to participants to generate feedback. Many good comments were made reflecting the individual’s experience and involvement with the project. Some expressed interest in the development of additional training workshops in the future.
- Pictures of the training
- More information about LWBC and the 2 trainers
- Manual “Strategic Litigation of Human Rights Abuses: a Manual for Legal Practitioners from the Commonwealth Caribbean”
- Participants’ comments.
See below the complete list of organisations in attendance:
- Aids-Free World
- Caribbean Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays
- Combined Disabilities Association
- Haile Selassie I Foundation for Law and Society
- Hear the Children’s Cry
- Independent Commission of Investigations
- Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights
- Institute of Law and Economics
- Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- Jamaica Civil Society Coalition
- Jamaica Environment Trust (JET)
- Jamaica Network of Seropositves (JN+)
- Jamaica Red Cross – Central Village
- Jamaicans for Justice
- J-FLAG
- Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum
- McCam Child Development and Resource Centre
- Norman Manley Law School
- Office of the Public Defender
- Peace Management Initiative
- Quality of Citizenship Jamaica
- RISE Life Management
- Stand Up for Jamaica
- The Griffin Trust