Human Rights and Ant-Discrimination Commission director Ashwin Raj submitted the Commission’s 2019 Annual Report to the President Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konusi Konrote yesterday

Mr Raj said the annual report documents the work undertaken by the commission in 2019 towards the protection, promotion and preservation of human rights in accordance with the commission’s constitutional mandate.

He said this included education and advocacy, conducting independent investigations into alleged human rights violations, exhausting remedies available under the law and making policy recommendations on existing and proposed laws.

Mr Raj said the commission has conducted investigations in relation to allegations of Police brutality, of professional misconduct against Police and corrections, violence in prisons, infraction of the rights of arrested and detained persons and employment relation matters.

Investigations were also conducted on the right to equality and freedom from discrimination on prohibited grounds, rights of children, right to health, adequate food, water, housing and sanitation, right to social security schemes, domestic violence and freedom from arbitrary evictions.

He said the report also documents the steps taken by the commission towards strengthening institutional governance including the audit of the back-log of its financials for the period 2008 to 2016, prepared and submitted to the Office of the Auditor General for an independent audit.

“The commission is also working towards its accreditation as a Paris Principles compliant national human rights institution,” he said.

He added that a copy of the report will be submitted to the Prime Minister and once tabled in Parliament, the report would be scrutinised.

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