Justice, human rights training for 1,000 people

Training in the fields of justice and human rights began on Wednesday for 1,000 people across the Republic of Congo. Twenty-five instructors trained from 12-15 November by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - as part of its justice and human rights programme - in conjunction with the Congolese Ministry for Justice and Human Rights are conducting the exercise. The sessions are to take place in the capital, Brazzaville, as well as the localities of Owando, Ouesso, and Impfondo in the north of country, and Pointe-Noire and Dolisie in the south. Once instructed, the 1,000 trainees will be charged with the task of promoting the culture of peace across the 10 regions of country, particularly among those farthest from urban centres. "Human rights education is a communal ideal nowadays; because it is an appropriate means to transform the mentalities of human beings," said Evariste Miakakarila, an official with the Centre for Retraining and Administrative Perfection (Centre de recyclage et de perfectionnement administratifs). The centre is a department of the Higher School for Administration and Magistrature (l'Ecole normale d'administration et de magistrature), charged with executing the training project. So far 600 policemen, 300 representatives from NGOs, 350 local authority members, and 300 citizens have benefited from similar training. A total of 3,000 brochures about policing and the electoral process, 1,500 on citizens' rights, and 100 manuals and 300 summaries on penal and policing procedures have also been published. In May 2002, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson voiced concern over human rights abuses in the country; where an upsurge in fighting since March has displaced tens of thousands of civilians and prevented aid workers from reaching those in need. "I am deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation," she said, "in particular in the Pool region, where both parties to the ongoing conflict are showing blatant disregard for the safety and human rights of the civilian population." The project, which has a budget of US $999,860, will finish in October 2003.