Wednesday, December 9 – The Attorney General’s Chambers will this month begin the process of civil society consultations on a draft Human Rights Bill. Some of the consultations will be carried over into early January 2010.
The Chambers will work collaboratively with the Law Reform Commission and Sister Islands Coordinator, Mr. Vincent Wheatley, in hosting the consultations on Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke and Tortola.
The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 makes provisions for the practical implementation and enforcement of the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual (Bill of Rights) in Chapter Two with more than 20 such rights enumerated in the various sections.
Attorney General Honourable Kathleen Quartey said, “It is envisaged that the implementation and monitoring of these rights will be entrusted to an independent body and accordingly, the Constitution provides for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission.”
Honourable Quartey further told the Department of Information and Public Relations, “To establish a framework for the commission and to provide for access to it, a Human Rights Act, 2010 is envisaged. To that end, draft legislation has been crafted through the instrumentality of the chambers incorporating wherever the constitutional parameters permit, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s best practice standards.”
She further explained that, “Model legislation was prepared by a legislative consultant with instructions to ensure that such a model also blends in the unique legal, sociological and governance structures of the Territory. The model was then reviewed by the chambers and Cabinet who support the involvement and consultation of civil society on the revised text, which is now the draft Bill.”
According to the Attorney General, it was originally thought that the Commonwealth Foundation, which is conducting a human rights capacity building exercise throughout the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories would incorporate civic consultations on legislation. However, following the visits by the Commonwealth Foundation consultants to this Territory in May and November this year, it was decided that the Attorney General’s Chambers would proceed separately with stakeholder consultations on the draft legislation.
In preparation for this series of consultations and in acknowledgment of the fact that the Bill of Rights cuts across the spectrum of the Constitution and all of the Territory’s laws, more staff of the Chambers have recently been trained in issues of human rights and international law. In particular, two Crown Counsel, Missess Kaidia Edwards and LaToya James attended specialist programmes in the United Kingdom and have now joined the existing Chambers’ team which is responsible for handling the implementation of the Human Rights programme.
In a related development, the Commonwealth Foundation will begin the stakeholder consultations on capacity building later in January 2010.
The Attorney’s General Chambers operates as a legal adviser to the Government of the Virgin Islands and is responsible for international law and legal reporting obligations of the Territory and also drafting legislation based on the policy decisions of the administration which must all be human rights complaint.
British Virgin Islands News