By Peterkins Manyong
The National Commission for Human Rights and Freedom, NCHRF, has promised to stand by all those fighting against human rights abuses using the law courts.
Northwest representative at the NCHRF Nelson Ndi told participants at a seminar for paralegals in Bamenda on Friday, January 12, that it will take a long time to eradicate human rights abuse because violators are usually very strong people , socially, political and economically.
Fighting them, therefore, requires a lot of courage and much tact. He regretted that so far much of the fight is carried out by institutions.Individuals should fight at all levels, he said, and that his organisation stands by all those taking up cases against human rights violations.
The Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy, CHRAPA, Joseph Chongsi, which organised the seminar, said it was more in partnership with the Dutch Embassy in Cameroon.
He was pleased that other human rights organisations saw the need for the seminar which was organised to equip paralegal staff of CHRAPA with the required knowledge to give legal assistance to victims of human rights violations, he cited in particular those abusively incarcerated in prisons.
"This training is justified by the fact that too many people are denied accessed to justice as a result of ignorance of the law, basic fundamental rights and a lack of the means to afford legal representation," Chongsi said.
Those most victimized, he said, are women, children and indigenous minorities who lack education and financial resources.It should be noted that there are two justice systems operating in Cameroon, the State and traditional justice systems.
The traditional justice system, Chongsi said, is often affordable to people in rural areas. Unfortunately, certain acts acceptable under traditional law are considered human rights violations by State laws.
Access to the State judicial system, Chongsi said, is needed in complex cases such as those against police and top Government officials.He regretted that Cameroon has only 650 lawyers to serve a population of 16 million and the number of courts is also insufficient, even where these exist, the procedure is too slow.
To make matters worse, the cost of taking action is high.Chongsi outlined the duties of the paralegals which he said should try to resolve disputes that would otherwise go without hearing by an impartial audience.
The paralegals, he said, should provide knowledge through sensitisation and education of various communities about their rights.Through the paralegals, men, women and children will come to know more about their rights and will be able to identify cases of violations and where to seek redress.
A participant at the seminar, Sylvester Toh, Secretary of the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture, said the seminar was enriching.Gilbert Gwain, a Bamenda-based journalist, coordinated the seminar.
Let us continue to imagine and to build our future. Every good thing starts as a thought, as a dream. One of the first exercises in starting a business is to conceptualize it in thought and to write it down. It is called a business plan. If you do not create a business plan, you are likely to fail in your venture. We have started the business plan of the Southern Cameroons. It is a joint venture. Some of you are already collaborating on it.
Do not forget to look through and put some ideas everyday. It could be a word, a sentence or a whole page. It is up to you. Doubters need not apply. Only people who believe in a plan construct it. That does not mean there are no devil's advocates, people who lay down the "what ifs" to test the integrity of the plan.
VISIT YOUR PLAN HERE EVERYDAY. Dot an i, add a word. Substitute a better word. Create a better paragraph. Correct a typo. Add a page. Discuss a brand new idea. Lets do it.
Posted by: Ma Mary | Tuesday, 16 January 2007 at 10:32 PM