By Shabibah Nakirigya, The Citizen Correspondent
(email the author)
Posted Tuesday, September 17 2013 at 10:13
Posted Tuesday, September 17 2013 at 10:13
In Summary
Kampala. Members of Parliament have published a guide that gives directions on observance of human rights in the country.
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, said
the checklist is one of the initiatives by the Parliamentary Committee
on Human Rights to help in executing its human rights mandate.
“The checklist sets out a simple criterion against
the assessment of human rights compliance that can be made by the
committee or any government department presenting a Bill, policy, budget
or any other programme to Parliament,” Ms Kadaga said while launching
the implement recently.
Checklist to apply elsewhere
Ms Sofia Nalule, the vice chairperson of the
committee, said the check list will be used in all parliamentary
committees and later transferred to other institutions as it is done by
the British Human Rights Commission.
“We ask the public to read and understand the
checklist because it deals with peoples’ rights because everyone willing
to produce a Bill or policy before the plenary should first consider
the check list,” Ms Nalule said.
Uganda Human Rights Commission chairperson Med
Kaggwa welcomed the development, saying despite the decrease in
complaints of torture as indicated by the Uganda Human Rights Report
2012, cruelty on humanity and degrading treatment or punishment remain
high.
The check list provides quick guidance to the
committee which includes; ensuring and determining that a rights-based
approach informs the work and is reflected in Bills, programmes, budget
and other government policies.
SOURCE: TH CITIZEN
SOURCE: TH CITIZEN
