Government officials receive human rights training

Michelle Brathwaite

The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Family and Gender Affairs is holding a two-day consultative workshop to sensitize various organisations on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing+25 reporting.

The workshop is being held on the 15th and 16th of April and aims to strengthen technical capacity among government partners, CEDAW and Beijing+25 reporting.

CEDAW is also an international human rights treaty that focuses specifically on equality between women and men in all areas of life.

National Human Rights Officer in the United Nations office-Barbados, Michelle Braithwaite said she is delighted that Dominica is working on its CEDAW report and hopes to have a productive workshop.

“The nature of what we are going to do for the next two days is hopefully going to build capacity among government officials, to better understand human rights processes. And then we take a specific look at CEDAW both generally speaking and in the Dominica context,” she said.

“Hopefully, we will have productive conversations about culture, gender, legislation, policy and how Dominica sees itself moving forward with its gender agenda,” she continued. “Human rights reporting is about a country making its own assessment of how well it is doing with its own human rights agenda by going through its reporting process as a necessary stock taking of where things stand.”

She added that when the report is submitted independent experts can give Dominica some guidance on how to move forward in better implementing its gender agenda.

Helen Royer

Permanent secretary for the ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Family and Gender Affairs, Helen Royer said this convention is a way forward towards gender equality in Dominica.

“The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Family and Gender Affairs through the Bureau of gender affairs, wishes to compile and submit the relevant reports in order to fulfill Dominica’s obligation under the convention and also it is practically important as a tool that guides us towards the achievement of gender equality and has proven invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination,” Royer stated. “The CEDAW and Beijing reports will speak to Dominica’s progress as a nation towards the achievement of gender equality.”

She pointed to the noteworthy accomplishments that had been achieved over the past years.

“Women now hold prominent positions at the highest level of decision making in the public service; 84.6% are permanent secretaries. The Sexual Offenses Act was amended in 2016 to include harsher sentences for perpetrators of sexual violence and introduction of mandatory reporting for suspected abuse of minors,” Royer stated.

She added, “More specifically, a year ago, we finished up the social mobilization campaign against gender-based violence funded by the UN women. Through this project, significant steps have been made sensitizing the public on gender issues, supporting victims and advocates in countering the negative impact of gender-based violence, especially domestic violence and securing increasing allies in the fight for gender equality.”

She said recommendations received from this workshop will be submitted to the Minister and Cabinet.

The government rectified CEDAW in 1981 and has made significant progress in eliminating major forms of discrimination against women, Royer said.

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3 Comments

  1. RandyX
    April 20, 2019

    Did Skerrit, Austrie, Blackmoore and the chief of police part take as well. I mean they are the ones most in need of such training! But then again they do as they please…

  2. viewsexpressed
    April 19, 2019

    .Please get rid of Skerrit, he is this obvious failed Prime (Odd) Minister. Skerrit has failed us, he is not leadership material. He has no knowledge of being head of an island of Dominica,, and lacks knowledge of anything to do with the socio-economic development of Dominica. Skerrit is a pappy show and a failed leader. We have wasted 19 years under this clown with his incompetent 19 ministers unable to best advise of ho nest to development our villages, committees and overall our Domininca. Skerrit worthless 19 ministers themselves have to accept blame for this disruption and corruption that they sat don there for 19 wasted years chanting their love their Prime Minister. Oddly enough he is referred to as this failed Odd Minister because we have not seen any credible development change in our Dominica. It appears that those who have benefited are this sitting Corrupt Labour Government led by their incompetent minister and their failed immature Odd Minister Skerrit…and he must GO.

  3. ONE MAN GOVERNMENT
    April 16, 2019

    “The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs…” So Dominica has a ministry of religion affairs then? So who is the minister responsible of Ecclesiastical Affairs? Please don’t tell me is Ms Daniel because of this: https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/dlp-suspends-all-official-party-activities-during-easter-season/
    When we read the above article that was published last week Re: “DLP suspends all official party activities during Easter season”, no doubt it had everything to do with The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and strangely enough the so called Minister, MS. Daniel is not even mentioned. First of all, the secret religious leader did not even discuss that Easter thing with the minister ((If that’s true), although PM Skerrit was out of state. Secondly, if that was true the PM did not even discuss it with his minister responsible but took a decision all by himself to suspend the planned rally because of religious clash. So PM again proves gov’t in “ONE MAN”

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