Petitions

How can the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee be accessed?

The Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee can be accessed in three different ways -

• The First Pathway.  An individual or group of individuals can directly petition the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee by writing to the Committee at P.O.Box 30664, Grand Cayman, KY1-1203, CAYMAN ISLANDS, or at committee@humanrights.ky; or
• The Second Pathway.  An individual or group of individuals can address a petition in writing to a Member of the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee, who may then formally lodge the petition with the Committee; or
• The Third Pathway.  A Member of the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee can petition the Committee of his or her own volition, by bringing an individual issue or a matter of general concern, in writing, to the attention of the Committee.

What information should be included in a petition to the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee?

In order to access the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee, the individual or group of individuals (if access is being sought through the first or second pathways), or the Member of the Committee (if access is being sought through the third pathway), should attempt to include all of the following information in any petition:

• Name;
• Postal address;
• Physical address;
• Telephone number;
• Email address;
• An account of the situation or circumstances, including dates where relevant, that has given rise to the petition;
• Any supporting documentation; and
• An indication of which human rights are thought to be at issue.

What happens if all of the requested information is not included in a petition to the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee?

Failure to include all of the requested information in a petition to the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee, without good reason, may prevent the acceptance of any such petition.

The Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee does, however, reserve the right to receive an incomplete petition, if the Committee believes that:

• There is sufficient information to indicate that human rights may be threatened; and
• The exigencies of the situation demand immediate attention.

Some information, such as the postal address, physical address, telephone number, or email address, may not be available in every situation.  Where any of these are unavailable, this will not automatically invalidate the petition.

Every effort should nevertheless be made, by the individual or group of individuals submitting the petition, to provide sufficient contact details to enable the Committee to converse with them, should the need arise.

Where an incomplete petition is accepted and a formal complaint registered; it should also be noted that the failure to include all of the requested information in the initial petition and specifically, the failure to provide sufficient contact details, may also impede the progress of any subsequent investigation of the complaint.

Last Updated: 2007-01-11