Commonwealth assists Swaziland to set up human rights commission

The Commonwealth Secretariat is assisting Swaziland to set up a national human rights commission to monitor and investigate human rights violations and act as a body to which officials will report their earnings and liabilities.

Through its Human Rights Unit, the Secretariat has engaged a consultant to explore the modalities for setting up the commission.

According to Jarvis Matiya, Human Rights Adviser at the Secretariat, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) play an important role in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.

He added that the National Human Rights Commission for Swaziland would also “co-ordinate human rights programmes aimed at empowering the country’s citizens.”

The commission which is being developed through a consultative approach between the government, the judiciary and the people will, said Prince David Dlamini, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, “ensure that the poor people who cannot afford legal representation within or beyond Swaziland will have their cases heard by the commission.”

Mr Matiya stated that the Government of Swaziland’s enthusiasm and proactive approach in establishing this commission had been vital.

The Human Rights Unit provides advice, training and other forms of technical assistance to governments to strengthen their NHRIs as well as to build capacity within relevant ministries, agencies and departments in mainstreaming human rights, and identifying and responding to human rights issues.

“The best-practice models from other Commonwealth NHRIs will be applied to Swaziland,” said Mr Matiya.

Key Links:

• Human Rights
• Country Profile: Swazliand