HRC Members Biography
Anthony Akiwumi was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1989 and has been involved in human rights advocacy both generally and from the Convention standpoint since 1993. Anthony was a member of the Bar Human Rights Committee in England and Wales from 1993 until his arrival in Grand Cayman in 1997. During that period he was involved in the review and preparation of amicus briefs and petitions to the US Supreme Court and to the Governments of Kenya and Nigeria in respect of high profile human rights violations. Under the tutelage of Lord Lester and the Bar Human Rights Committee, Anthony also gained experience and expertise with the European Convention on Human Rights points in the context of judicial review and criminal proceedings. In the Cayman Islands, he has continued to ensure that the principles of fairness, respect for family, property and the dignity of human beings all encapsulated major international human rights treaties recognised, if not always applied in the absence of constitutional recognition of fundamental rights.
Sara Collins is Chair of the HRC. Sara joined Walkers law firm in 1996 and became a Partner in 2003. She has worked on a wide range of commercial litigation, with a focus on international trust litigation and court proceedings. She obtained her law degree with honours at the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London in 1993, and was awarded the LSE and University of London prizes in company law. Sara qualified as a Barrister in England and Wales in 1995. She is also Chairperson of the Planning Appeals Tribunal and a Director of the Cayman Islands National Gallery and the author of a paper on the rights of women and children, presented at the Human Rights Symposium held in the Cayman Islands in 2001.
Andre Ebanks is an Associate and a member of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group of Appleby. Andre has a Bachelor of Science, studied law at the University of Liverpool through the Cayman Islands Law School and then completed the Bar Vocational Course, receiving a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He is a member of the Honourable Middle Temple and the Cayman Islands Law Society. Andre 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 completed his law degree at the Cayman Islands Law School in 1996 and was called to the Bar in both England and Cayman in 1999. John has practiced at a small litigation firm and has also worked on Commercial and Corporate Law at a major offshore firm. From 2004-2006 John worked as an in-house counsel to the Caledonian Group, a major service provider to a variety of financial structures, including SPV’s, funds, insurance and trusts. In January 2006, John established a sole practice focusing on corporate and commercial matters. John also operates a corporate services company, providing various services to Cayman Islands Companies. John is also a member of several local community organisations, including the George Hicks United Church.
Danielle Coleman comes from a legal background and has recently completed a Masters degree in understanding and securing human rights and human rights law. She obtained her law degree from Trinity College, Dublin and passed her Professional Practise course at the Cayman Islands Law School with commendation. She was called to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2005. Danielle has worked with numerous human rights charities and interest groups in Thailand, Vietnam, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands. She has worked closely with victims of tsunami, domestic abuse and paedophilia. Danielle is a board member of No Strings International, the Legal Subcommittee for Planning the Future for Persons with Disabilities in the Cayman Islands and Deputy Chair of the Red Cross Executive Committee. In addition to serving as the HRC’s Secretary, Danielle also works full time as Human Rights Analyst for the Committee.
Donovan Myers , Reverend at Savannah United Church, has spent the last twenty years serving the church, education and community development projects, focussing on challenging issues such as drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, violent crimes and homelessness. Donovan has a personal interest in human rights and justice. He teaches Ethics classes at schools in Grand Cayman and also brings a theological perspective to the discussions of the HRC.
Estella Scott Roberts has spent much of her career promoting the well-being of women and children in the Cayman Islands through her work both with the Ministry of Community Services, Women’s Affairs, Youth and Sports and the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. Estella 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 a Certified Public Accountant and managing director of Admiral Administration, a leading fund administration company based in the Cayman Islands. Canover was the recent recipient of the 2007 Young Caymanian Leadership Award. He has been an avid supporter of our youth through his involvement in football, Big Brother, Big Sister, Rotary and other community based initiatives and hopes that his involvement on the HRC will serve as a voice for a secure future for the young people of the Cayman Islands.
Melanie McLaughlin is a litigation attorney with the law firm Appleby and holds a particular interest in constitutional reform of the Cayman Islands and the inclusion of human rights in any new constitutional changes made in her native country. To this end, Melanie has written for the Constitutional Review Secretariat and served as a panel member in its public presentations. Appointed to the HRC in 2005, Melanie is also Chair of the HRC’s Constitutional Working Group and has participated in meetings with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office in respect to Cayman’s constitutional advancement and reform.
Melanie is a proud Caymanian who holds an honours law degree from the University of Liverpool and has successfully completed LPC at College of Law, London, United Kingdom.
Vaughan Carter, Following the completion of postgraduate legal studies in human rights and civil liberties, Vaughan embarked upon an academic career, in which he designed and taught numerous courses involving international human rights and the embodiment of these principles in domestic constitutions. Since relocating to the Cayman Islands in 1997, many of Vaughan’s publications and presentations have pursued human rights themes in a Caymanian or broader Caribbean context. Regionally, Vaughan has delivered papers on human rights for the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations and the University of the West Indies. In Cayman, Vaughan has addressed local human rights issues at the UNHCR and International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Human Rights Today Symposium and the National Education Conference. In addition to providing human rights training to both the Immigration Department and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Vaughan has also assisted the Constitutional Review Secretariat, the Chamber of Commerce, local service clubs and youth groups in disseminating human rights education to the general public. Some of Vaughan’s published work on human rights can be found in Public Law, the Law Quarterly Review, the Journal of Law and Religion, the International Journal of Law and Evidence, the Caribbean Law Review and on-line at: http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/cayman/conference/papers/carter.html. Vaughan was a founding Member of the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee and currently serves as the HRC’s Deputy Chair.
James Austin-Smith .James was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1999 and has practiced as a Criminal Defence Attorney in London and the Cayman Islands. During his three years practising in the Cayman Islands, James advanced many human rights arguments before both the Grand Court and the Court of Appeal. Beyond the courtroom, he has also publicly advanced for a sentencing regime that is more compatible with human rights and for the recognition of legal aid as an aspect of the right to a fair trial. Notwithstanding his return to the United Kingdom, James continues to make a valuable contribution to the work of the HRC.
Victor Lookloy is a physician by profession, who has practiced in the Cayman Islands since 1983. In his professional practice, he has had to deal first hand with patients who, due to financial constraints, have difficulties in securing health care. This has led to a keen interest in the establishment of a right to health care and how this might provide for more equitable health provision. In addition, Victor is a keen proponent of the importance of education and similarly has an interest in how this might also operate as a human right. Victor’s commitment to economic and social justice, which underscores his general interest in human rights, has also led him to comment on the rights of persons who migrate to the Cayman Islands. Victor prides himself as an independent thinker, who is pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the development and evolution of the HRC.
Nathania Rankin has always been interested in human rights issues and in particular gender discrimination and discrimination in the work place. This interest was cemented during her legal studies at the Cayman Islands Law School. Nathania graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2004 and passed her Professional Practice Course with commendation in 2005. She articled with the Attorney General’s Chambers and has subsequently become Crown Counsel. Nathania is a keen volunteer at the Legal Befrienders Clinic, conducted by the Women’s Resource Centre, and a member of the Cayman Islands Football Appeals Tribunal.
Tammy Ebanks-Bishop has spent the last ten years in the Cayman Islands and United States working to use education and information as a tool to empower individuals towards the path of self-actualization. As an equality advocate with a particular focus on women and children, she has a strong interest in the continued development of human rights in the Cayman Islands. Under the theme “Promoting Child Rights Through Research”, she presented a research paper that focused on domestic abuse, at risk youth and juvenile delinquency at the University of the West Indies and UNICEF’s Caribbean Child Research Conference held in Jamaica in 2006.
Last Updated: 2007-12-27