New Members for HRC: The Right Way Forward
Published 25th May 2007, 3:48pm
On the 25th April, eight new members were appointed to the Human Rights Committee (HRC), who are intended to provide the HRC with a broader, more independent and representative range of professional expertise.
The new members are Anthony Akiwumi; Danielle Coleman; Sara Collins; Andre Ebanks; John Meghoo; Reverend Donovan Myers; Estella Scott-Roberts; and Canover Watson. All of the new members hold either a personal or professional interest in human rights and were selected from a panel of names proposed by the HRC itself.
Anthony Akiwumi has been involved in human rights advocacy since 1993, during which time he has been involved in the review and preparation of petitions to the United States Supreme Court and to the Governments of Kenya and Nigeria in respect of high profile human rights violations.
Danielle Coleman has recently completed a Masters degree in human rights law and has a strong track record of working with human rights charities and interest groups in Thailand, Vietnam, the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands.
Sara Collins is an active member of both the Legal Befrienders Clinic and the Business and Professional Women’s Club and presented a paper on the rights of women and children at the Human Rights Symposium held in the Cayman Islands in 2001.
Andre Ebanks is currently part of a team working on the first petition to the European Court of Human Rights from the Cayman Islands and is committed to raising the profile of human rights issues as part of the constitutional modernisation process.
John Meghoo has a wide range of legal experience, including criminal and family law; both of which have brought him into regular contact with human rights issues. He is also a member of several local community organisations, including the George Hicks United Church.
Reverend Donovan Myers has spent the last twenty years serving the church, education and community development projects, focussing on such challenging issues as drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, violent crimes and homelessness. He has a personal interest in human rights and justice and also brings a theological perspective to the discussions of the HRC.
Estella Scott Roberts has spent much of her career promoting the wellbeing of women and children in the Cayman Islands through her work both with the Ministry of Community Services and the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. She has campaigned against domestic and sexual abuse and has also consistently encouraged members of the public to be more vocal about human rights concerns generally along with the rights of women and children in particular.
Canover Watson is the 2007 recipient of the Young Caymanian Leadership Award. He is therefore able to bring a youth point of view to the fore in the HRC’s discussions and has hopes that his involvement with the HRC will contribute to a securer future for the youth of Cayman.
These talented new members join James Austin-Smith, Vaughan Carter, Tammy Ebanks-Bishop, Dr. Victor Look Loy, Melanie McLaughlin, Nathania Rankin and the Hon. Alden McLaughlin on a 15 strong panel; all of whom have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the protection of human rights in the Cayman Islands and have been instrumental in the establishment of the HRC. Biographies for all members, outlining their interest and experience in human rights, will shortly be posted on the HRC’s new website: www.humanrights.ky.
Vaughan Carter, who holds a Masters Degree in International Human Rights Law and who, as a legal academic, has taught and written on many different aspects of this subject, has been confirmed as the HRC’s Deputy Chair. In addition, Danielle Coleman, who recently received her similar qualification, has been appointed as the first Secretary to the HRC. The Hon. Alden McLaughlin will continue as Chair of the HRC in the short term, after which he intends to step down as part of the consistent move towards the creation of a more independent HRC.
This process has commenced with MLA’s Lucille Seymour and Julianna O’Connor Connolly, along with Angela Martins, Chief Officer in the Ministry of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture, making way for significantly greater private sector representation on the HRC. The HRC and its Chair would like to thank its former members for their contributions to the work of the HRC. Importantly, however, the addition of eight new members has resulted in two-thirds of the HRC now being drawn from the private sector, which effectively reverses the balance of public and private sector members appointed to the first HRC.
As the process continues, the Hon. Alden McLaughlin outlined a vision which would further increase the HRC independence:
“My goal for the HRC is that over the next couple of years it will evolve into a fully-fledged Human Rights Commission; the establishment of which is enshrined and protected in a new constitution.”
If you would like to contact the HRC, please address written correspondence to PO Box 30664, Grand Cayman KY1 1203 or alternatively, emails can be sent to committee@humanrights.ky.
For further information contact: Human Rights Committee