21 September 2018, Banjul, The Gambia - The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Secretariat) wishes to inform the general public that the Special Rapporteur on Prisons, Conditions of Detention and Policing in Africa- Honourable Commissioner Maria Theresa Manuela, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa- Honourable Commissioner Lucy Asuagbor, Special Mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) will be organizing the following Meetings in Accra, Ghana, from 1 to 4 October 2018:
1. Joint Sensitization/ Training Workshop for Senior Officers of the Ghanaian Police and Prisons Services on the Guidelines on Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pre-Trial Detention in Africa (the Luanda Guidelines), its Implementation Toolkits and the Guidelines on Combating Sexual Violence and its Consequences in Africa (Joint Sensitization Workshop); and
2. Regional Conference on the Decriminalization of Petty Offences in Africa (Regional Conference).
The Meetings, which are part of the promotion mandate of the Commission, are being organized within the framework of Article 45 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter).
The Joint Sensitization Workshop is being organised to build the capacity of Officers of the Ghana Police and Prison Services in order to assist the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice of Ghana (CHRAJ) realize its mandate as a National Human Rights Institution in respect of monitoring compliance with human rights standards by key stakeholders within the criminal justice system in Ghana.
The Regional Conference is organised to provide a platform to build momentum around the implementation of the recently adopted Principles on the Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa (the Principles) by the Commission, which will be launched during the upcoming 63rd Ordinary Session in October 2018.
Honourable Commissioner Maria Theresa Manuela, Special Rapporteur on Prisons, Conditions of Detention and Policing in Africa and Honourable Commissioner Lucy Asuagbor, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa will be attending the said Meetings. Other participants include: The CHRAJ of Ghana, Ghanaian Government Institutions, Academia, legal Practitioners and Civil Society Organisations. The Meetings will be assisted by Members of the Commission’s Secretariat.
For further information, please contact:
The Secretariat of the African Commission
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District
Western Region,
P.O Box 673,
Banjul, The Gambia.
Tel: +220 4410505/6
Fax: +220 4410504
Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org
