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The Government was also urged to pay closer attention to trafficking for labour purposes and in the context to immigration. The impact of the National Action Plan on Enterprises and Human Rights, drafted in cooperation with civil society, should be closely followed. A number of human rights-related issues were of concern in Luxembourg, such as access to the job market for persons with migrant backgrounds who had a low level of education, as well as the need for an accurate definition of child pornography. The recommendations made by Iraq had been accepted. Luxembourg had accepted a significant number of recommendations.
The Vice-President then said that of recommendations, Luxembourg had accepted and noted The process had been extremely enriching.
The Government would take due note of remarks made by States and the adoption of the report would be followed by implementation efforts. The protection of human rights was reflected in the level of investment that the Government had made in the areas of education, social services and social security, which accounted for almost two-thirds of the national budget. As a very small State, Barbados was committed to the work done by the United Nations. Barbados supported the work of the Council and treaty bodies and welcomed the positive changes in the Universal Periodic Review Process as it was an effective tool for the advancement of cooperation among States.
Following the January session, the Government had reserved its position on the recommendations, enabling careful review and considerable thought to each recommendation. Out of those recommendations, 64 were accepted and 73 were noted.
It urged the authorities to reconsider its remaining recommendations, and expressed hope that Barbados would hold a public debate on the death penalty to set the stage for the abolition of that sentence. It regretted that Barbados had not accepted any of the recommendations formulated by Chile. Chile encouraged Barbados to continue fostering an inclusive society. Barbados had expressed its commitment to the Universal Periodic Review, which was a sign of the high value that Barbados accorded to the promotion and protection of human rights.
Following the Universal Periodic Review of Barbados , the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that domestic legislation does not conform to the norms of international human rights law. The BDF is formally commanded by the governor general and directed by the prime minister. Participation in the Universal Periodic Review process presented an opportunity to show how successfully Barbados had protected its social safety net, even during a period of economic downturn. Furthermore, young people and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to homophobia and transphobia, and many assaults occur in domestic settings. As of , the force had just over 1, members, the majority of who are unarmed. Lower-court officials are appointed on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.
Barbados must become a party to international conventions on the rights of children and on torture. The Government must move towards the abolition of the death penalty. Barbados continued to present capital punishment as a solution to crime without addressing the root causes of the increase in violent crime. Some 30 people had been handed the death penalty in Barbados. The organization called on Barbados to abolish the imposition of the sentence for murder.
The Vice-President then said that of recommendations, Barbados had accepted 64 and noted The recommendations reflected the diversity of views present in Barbados and the international community. Participation in the Universal Periodic Review process presented an opportunity to show how successfully Barbados had protected its social safety net, even during a period of economic downturn.
Clearly, work remained to be done and the Government would continue to develop and create public policies and legislative frameworks. Social policy was predicated on ending poverty and efforts would be invested to ensure that the delivery of social services became even more caring, people-centred and efficient. Gratitude was expressed to the Council, States, the Troika and the Secretariat. Montenegro had accepted out of received recommendations. It would continue working on improving the conditions in detention facilities, and it would focus on ensuring a greater degree of protection of the rights of persons deprived of liberty in possible cases of abuse of office.
In line with the new Law on Foreigners, a mechanism for determining statelessness had been introduced. The authorities were working intensively on further improvements of the normative framework through the amendments to the Law on the National Public Broadcaster in order to strengthen its political and institutional independence.
Efforts would be intensified in the areas of gender equality and improvement of the position of women and girls, and protection from all forms of violence and domestic violence. Another area that required further attention was the fight against trafficking in persons, Mr. Libya was satisfied about the adoption of a recommendation on the protection of persons with disabilities.
Both recommendations made by Nepal on combatting discrimination against women and on ending gender-based violence had been accepted. Montenegro must continue strengthening its national human rights institutions. Ongoing efforts to strengthen the impartiality of the judiciary were also of note. The Council must adopt the outcome by consensus. Venezuela highlighted the new legal framework in Montenegro to combat discrimination and the criminalisation of hate speech.
Montenegro had displayed its commitment to protecting human rights. Albania also noted ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality in the country and said recommendations were accepted on combatting gender-based violence. Montenegro must continue working to protect the rights of vulnerable populations, including the rights of minorities. China supported the adoption of the outcome.
BARBADOS. 2. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. The report provides a snapshot of conditions in each country and includes Media Note: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices · Antigua and.
The independence of the judicial system had also been strengthened. The incidence of police abuse is low and public confidence in the force is higher than other countries in the Caribbean. The US State Department notes that the government maintains effective mechanisms to punish abuse and corruption within the security forces and that in there were no reports of immunity.
The BDF is formally commanded by the governor general and directed by the prime minister.
The force is relatively small, with approximately active personnel. Barbados is a part of the Regional Security System RSS which seeks to promote cooperation between its members [10] in the Eastern Caribbean in drug interdiction efforts and maritime policing, among other areas. The country also has a long term National Strategic Plan for which aims to cut key crime rates by and improve judicial efficiency by simplifying court procedures and modernising the justice system, among other targets. However, these efforts have not progressed significantly.
Chief Justice Gibson has announced measures to tackle the case backlog, including: This would remove pushing offenders to the penal system and instead send them to treatment programmes. The government launched a National Task Force for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons in April , a member body headed by the attorney general.
The body is designed to develop and oversee strategies to combat human trafficking. The Barbados Parliament is split into two chambers: Parliament has the constitutional power to provide oversight and pass laws, and is generally regarded as providing a strong system of checks and balances on the government. The country has done well to control its crime rate while other nearby countries have suffered from increased levels of violence.
The low prevalence of corruption means there is a strong opportunity for engagement with all government ministries to tackle reform efforts. It has been estimated that at the current rate of case clearance, it would take 18 years to remove the backlog, even if no new cases were taken on. Efforts should be made to help modernise the courts system since outdated technology—for example, having to record court evidence in writing rather than audibly—appears to be a stumbling block to processing cases faster.
Providing aid for the creation of new courts and hiring of more judges could also help speed up proceedings. Along these lines, supporting the creation of the special court for drug-related crimes as is being worked on by the NCSA is advised to alleviate pressure on the overburdened judicial system. The police are widely considered to be one of the least corrupt and more efficient forces in the Caribbean. No major reform initiatives are necessarily needed. Therefore, efforts should be focused on ensuring the force is transparent and remains accountable to civilian oversight.
At the beginning of , the idea of increasing community policing initiatives was being proposed by some officials—including the attorney general—though this was very much in its early stages. The breakdown in the relationship between police and citizens was cited as a driving factor for this.
If this proposal moves forward, this should be aided. Barbados does not have a particularly high number of non-government organisations NGOs dedicated to justice and security. The women and a third British victim, Hillary Heath, have waived their right to anonymity and helped Mr Crawford hire a solicitor. They have lodged a complaint about the case with the police commissioner and director of public prosecutions. However, officials are pressing ahead with the prosecution. The majority of complaints against the police alleged unprofessional conduct and beating or assault.
Police were occasionally accused of beating suspects to obtain confessions, and suspects often recanted their confessions during their trial. There were many cases where the only evidence against the accused was a confession. The judicial system is independent, and the Supreme Court includes a high court and a court of appeals.