Ceps seeks to raise employees’, members’ awareness to address human rights issues |05 August 2021

Mrs Adonis (standing) imparting her knowledge about human rights with the Ceps’ representatives (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

Employees, members and key partners of the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles, yesterday afternoon took part in an education and awareness training session to better equipand prepare them to educate their peers and to help thembetter addresshuman rights issues.

The half-day session which took place at the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) conference room at Orion Mall, was organised in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission Seychelles (HRCS).

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only a fewdelegates were selected to take part in the special training session led by commissioner Barbara Carolus-André and senior education and training officer Monique Adonis from the Human Rights Commission Seychelles.

The main focus was on the importance of human rights education, human rights in general, the origin of human rights, commitmentto human rights, categories of human rights, rights holders and duty bearers and about building a human rights culture.

Ceps chief executive Alvin Laurence, whoalso took part in the session, said it was fundamental and paramount for the organisation to hold such a session for its members and employeesas it is important and very beneficial to have more trained and informed personnelin such important matters to better educate, influence and spread the message on human rights in our society.

“Human rights forms part of our daily lives and apart from learning about it, we also have to put it into practice,”Mr Laurence remarked.

He further stated that Ceps will during the course of the year organisespecial sessions for specific groups in the population, namely the youth, senior citizens and disabled persons,and also groups of selectedpeople who provide care and services to others in the communities.

“Our session is about promoting human rights. A lot of people do talk about human rights knowingly or unknowingly but we want to make sure that everybody knows rightly about human rights and its importance for all of us humans,” Mrs Adonis said.

She added that through the learning and sharing session, the HRCS will be able to evaluate its work done with regardsto educating the population on human rights. She addedthat the commission has as part of its mandate to promote, educate and empower people on human rights.

Mrs Adonis also noted that they did hold some empowerment sessions during the year but had to cut short because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

She said the commission will continue with its education sessions in other sectors in society, now that the Covid-19 restrictions are gradually easing, adding that the sessions will either be held physically if the designated area is spacious enough or virtually if space is not adequate and restricted.

Patrick Joubert