Voices Magazine-Vol2-Issue-1-WEB

23 April 2018 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica T he University of Technology, Jamaica and the Organisation of American States (OAS) on April 18, 2018 hosted a Distinguished Public Lecture under the title “The Inter-American System on Human Rights for all the Americas, Including the Caribbean.” The lecture was delivered by Tracy Robinson, former President of the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, Mona. Robinson is also a current Commissioner on the Independent Review of Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas, initiated by PAHO/WHO in 2016. Prefacing her discussion with the concession that the Inter-American Human Rights System is an “imperfect system,” Ms. Robinson argued however, that the Americas still remains a meaningful way to think of ourselves, given not only our geographical proximity, but the shared history of perverse inequalities of multiple groups of people across the Americas, much of which she pointed out is still pervasive today. Inequalities abound, she noted in areas such as opportunities for education, violence against women, LGBT persons and other marginalised groups, land rights issues of indigenous peoples, migration and nationality issues across the Americas, and other forms of inequalities. In one such case, the Inter American Commission visited Jamaica in 2008 to bring sharp focus to the violence against the gay community and in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, the IACHR issued precautionary measures to the US after the deportation of Haitians. The Role of the IACHR The IACHR, Ms Robinson explained, is a quasi-judicial autonomous body of the OAS with the mission to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere using a variety of mechanisms. The Inter-American Commission established in 1959 has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is composed of seven independent members who serve in a personal capacity. Three Jamaicans have served as President of the IACHR including current President, Ms Margarette May Macaulay since 2016 who also served as a Judge of the Inter-American Court (2006-2012), Ms Tracy Robinson (2012 to 2015) and The Hon. Patrick Robinson, OJ (1988 -1995). OAS Representative in Jamaica, Jeanelle van GlaanenWeygel, who brought remarks and introduced the lecturer, stated that “over the past 70 years, the OAS has made a significant contribution to human rights by ensuring that more people in the Americas have access to rights.” She noted that the reach of the IACHR and the Inter American Court of Human rights have been “extensive and all encompassing.” A spirited Question and Answer session followed the main presentation. A large audience comprising members of the legal fraternity, educators, students and members of the public was present. The proceedings were chaired by Mrs. Marcia Robinson Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law, UTech, Jamaica. Faculty of Law students at the Caribbean Court of Justice regional moot court competition held March 9, 2018 in Trinidad and Tobago. From left are Ms Michealia Rose, Ms, Cheydene Longmore and Mrs. Joan Lawla. UTech, Jamaica/OAS Distinguished Lecture on Human Rights Ms. Tracy Robinson, Former President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies, Mona delivering the UTech, Jamaica/OAS Distinguished Public Lecture on the topic “The Inter-American System on Human Rights for all the Americas, Including the Caribbean.”