Basseterre, St. Kitts (July 02, 2007): A cross section of St. Kitts society has been invited to a national consultation pertaining to a Law Ethics and Human Rights Project specific to HIV, this Thursday, July 5.
The project is designed to investigate the legal association of laws of St. Kitts and Nevis and falls under the Pan Caribbean Partnership (PANCAP) project operating in St. Kitts and Nevis. The Law and Ethics and Human Rights Project also falls under the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Gardenia Destang-Richardson, who is Focal person in St. Kitts for the Law, Ethics and Human Rights Assessment explained that the National Consultation has the objective of drawing from a pool of human resources to receive feedback on general human rights issues and those of Persons Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs). She said that the feedback will enable the PANCAP legal team to determine what the residents of each country think about the legal aspects of HIV/AIDS. ~~Adz:Right~~
As such, the consultation will be facilitated by a legal consultant from St. Lucia Ms. Veronica Cenac (pronounced snack) and her team. The results will then be compiled with other findings to formulate a regional policy toward HIV/AIDS.
Mrs. Richardson explained that approximately 50 persons from various sectors of society were invited to the half-day consultation including representatives of vulnerable groups such as PLWHAs, the legal community, the medical community, volunteer community organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs), law enforcement, the Labour Department and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
A similar consultation will take place Monday, July 9 in Nevis. “It’s a Federal activity,” Mrs. Richardson said. “So we want to bring in the perspectives from both St. Kitts and Nevis and we are cognizant that the perceptions and realities of the two islands may be different.” She further remarked that what occurs on one island may not happen on the other.
This Thursday’s National Consultation is scheduled to commence at 9:00 a.m. at the Frigate Bay Beach Hotel.
