Some twenty (20) police officers and other social protection service providers from Regions 5 and 6 in Guyana participated in our two (2) day human rights training session recently. The session is CVC’s latest training initiative with duty bearers in that country. The intervention is helping to build the capacity of Law Enforcement and other Social Protection Service Providers to understand the relationship between human rights violation, including gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV/AIDS, with a focus on populations especially vulnerable to HIV, including sex workers and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) people, persons living with HIV and women and girls who experience GBV.
The session which was implemented with our partner Comforting Hearts focused on increasing awareness of human rights violations especially as it relates to members of key population groups including women and girls. The presenters also explored ways to improve the capacity of law enforcement officers to provide services to and respond to reports from members of key population groups. Information was also shared with the participants about redress opportunities for members of key population groups when those individual’s rights are violated.
Social Worker and Advocate, Denica Henry, says the sessions were quite informative. “It has refreshed my memory as well as my understanding of basic human rights as well as also helped me to further understand the complexities and the serious nature of the jobs that social workers and law enforcement officers have in carrying out our duties and administering justice. I believe that this is something everyone should be exposed to and I do hope that all officers across Guyana are one day educated on human rights just as we were during this workshop,” she said. Child Protection Officer working with Guyana’s Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Deshae Stanley, agrees, “It’s been very educational attending the two day session on human rights. Some of the things I was aware of and so it was nice to have a refresher, however it doesn’t mean that I didn’t learn anything. I did learn. I will be using the information learnt from the training not just for the clients but also for myself as well, so this was very educational for me as a professional.”
Meanwhile Detective Sergeant Glenroy Holder says he plans to share the information with his colleagues. “Over the two days of participating in the sensitisation session I’ve learnt a lot about human rights and dealing with individuals as a police officer. Not to violate the rights of citizens and to follow the guidelines when I arrest a person for committing a crime. I also learnt about changes in human behaviour. The two day course was well organised and I will take this knowledge to my colleagues by doing instruction classes with them and sensitising them about the programme,” he said.
The Guyana human rights training utilised a curriculum developed from consultation with police and other duty bearers, members of the LGBT community, sex worker activists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and UN agencies working in the field. The sessions used interactive facilitated presentations and practical exercises to aid participants with application of the content.
