Annex A
British Council Activities in Human Rights,
2001
INTRODUCTION
The British Council connects people worldwide
to share ideas, information and best practice in human rights.
Our work demonstrates the experience and commitment of the UK
as a partner in strengthening human rights and access to justice.
We also stress the importance of access to human rights and justice
for all members of society, including disadvantaged groups.
This has been a busy year for the British Council
and this report shows the extent and range of our work around
the world. The British Council has now produced its strategy to
the year 2005 confirming that governance, which includes human
rights and law, will increase in importance to the Council over
the next five years.
The UK-wide incorporation of the Human Rights
Act, in October 2000, has increased the profile of human rights
at the UK level and led to rapidly growing resources, networks
and practice in this area. The British Council has been working
to facilitate overseas access to these developments, along with
the increasing diversity within the UK jurisdictions in the wake
of constitutional reforms.
The following report sets out an overview of
British Council work human rights around the world in 2000-2001.
ACTIVITIES IN
AFRICA
The British Council in Ethiopia.
— Set up Women 2000: Advancement
and empowerment, an exhibition of recent UK publications relating
to women's rights and gender equality. The books have been displayed
in parliament and have been distributed to universities and other
institutions throughout the country.
— Hosted a talk by a British Council-sponsored
participant on the INE Violence against Women seminar on
the subject of sexual harassment against women in the workplace
and in schools. The talk was broadcast live on Ethiopian FM radio
and generated a lot of debate.
— Hosted a visit by a dance and disability
specialist who conducted a series of training workshops on disability
and dance with the Adugna (street kids) dance group.
The British Council in Ghana.
— Managed a project to teach children
in junior and secondary schools about election processes timed
to coincide with the holding of elections in Ghana in 2000. The
main objective of the programme was to raise Ghanaian children's
awareness about elections and democracy and prepare them to participate
as responsible and informed citizens in the country's democratic
process.
The British Council in Malawi.
— Organised a visit by a British lawyer
to carry out a feasibility study for Library resources for
lawyers, a project which seeks to deliver computer equipment
designed for library research by lawyers, judges, human rights
organisations and legal academics in Malawi. The computers will
be equipped with core British legal texts, statutes and law reports
in digital form.
— Organised and funded two training
seminars for 14 journalists in human rights reporting and 22 in
parliamentary reporting. Many of the articles that the journalists
produced as part of their training have since appeared in a publication
called Writing Rights.
— Brought together members of the leading
human rights organisations in Malawi in a forum to discuss issues
of information sharing and networking. The forum also provided
an opportunity for the British Council to consult the organisations
on possible areas of intervention to promote human rights and
build the capacity of NGOs in Malawi.
The British Council in Mauritius.
— Organised a workshop to train more
than 20 women candidates and senior party members from Mauritius,
Rodrigues and the Seychelles who will be involved in the next
election campaign in Mauritius. The objectives were to strengthen
multi-party democratic processes and women's participation in
these processes, promote gender issues and develop skills that
will appeal to women voters.
The British Council in Namibia.
— Managed the consultancy visit of
a British media specialist on script-writing for a radio soap
opera addressing the issue of domestic violence.
The British Council in Nigeria.
— Organised a video-conference on the
impact of the Beijing + five process on African women to mark
the African Women's Day on 31 July. This was followed by two days
of internet training on human rights resources for NGOs in Lagos.
Further training is planned for Kano, Abuja and Enugu.
— Held a three-day training workshop
on Sourcing legal information on the internet attended by legal
professionals and practitioners.
— Managed a training session for community
leaders on how to demand accountability from the leaders in their
states.
— Organised a training programme for
legal aid lawyers on access to justice and the enforcement of
human rights.
The British Council in South Africa.
— Facilitated various exchange activities
between South African and British women as part of the Women changing
places project (whereby women from different working and social
backgrounds in the two countries meet, share ideas and strengthen
the connections between those who are actively engaged in promoting
gender equality). The activities in the project included a case
study and training event on the economic empowerment of women;
setting up a partnership and mentoring relationship with an arts
manager from a disadvantaged community and the University of Liverpool;
performances by a local dance-drama company exploring gender related
issues; and participation in the first International Courts of
Women held in Cape Town in March 2001.
— Funded a comparative study of policing
in Northern Ireland and South Africa for a high level roundtable
conference, organised by the South African Institute of International
Affairs, on Crime in transition to examine comparative crime trends
and policing change strategies in 16 countries undergoing political,
social or economic transition. A senior representative from the
Northern Ireland Police Service gave a presentation at the conference.
A publication documenting the comparative study of policing in
Northern Ireland and South Africa was published, which the British
Council will be distributing to its contacts.
— Managed a DfID-funded study tour
for five women working for the Zambian Young Womens' Christian
Association to meet with various women's organisations using the
media to combat violence against women.
The British Council in Tanzania.
— Ran a training course in election
campaigning skills for women parliamentary candidates prior to
the October 2000 election. Subsequent evaluations of the training
indicated that the participants had been able to make effective
use of the skills acquired on the course during their campaigning.
Twenty of the participants stood as constituency candidates in
the election. After the election a meeting was held for all women
candidates to identify actions needed over the next five years
to enable more women to stand in the general election in 2005.
The British Council in Zambia.
— Continued working with a regional
NGO on the project Popularising CEDAW (the Convention for the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women). CEDAW
was signed and ratified by the Government of Zambia in the 1980s.
The purpose of the project is to make the Convention known amongst
women and men at all levels of society. It is intended that the
Convention will be used by gender-focussed groups to advocate
and lobby for changes in legislation, customs and traditional
practices and to promote a change in attitude and behaviour towards
women. The British Council also collaborated in the production
of a poster campaign illustrating articles of the Convention which
will be distributed throughout Zambia in 2001, and will subsequently
be used to illustrate a simplified brochure.
ACTIVITIES IN
THE AMERICAS
The British Council in Argentina.
— Organised an international seminar
and workshops for the second phase of a project to develop an
efficient probation service in Argentina, working with NGOs and
the academic sector and supported by the Ministry of Justice and
Human Rights.
— Established a pilot programme for
the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
with the co-operation of rural schools in the northern province
of Tucuman. The British Council's Projects Manager also conducted
a briefing on the Convention.
The British Council in Brazil.
— Organised a series of workshops and
a seminar which looked at witness protection schemes. During one
of the events the Brazilian Government announced increased funding
for such schemes.
— Ran a theatre and development conference,
Changing the Scene, in Recife which was funded from the arts budget
but had a strong human rights focus.
The British Council in Chile.
— Developed a three-year project on
prison reform in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the
Chilean Prison Service and the International Centre for Prison
Studies, King's College London. The project involved training
in strategic planning to support the implementation of the New
Prison Policy, which aims to improve the living conditions of
prisoners and their possibilities for social rehabilitation.
— Organised the seminar Women leaders
in NGOs: Strategic management for participation, in co-operation
with the NGO Fundación Ideas and the University of Chile,
which allowed 40 women from all over Chile to address issues related
to gender, effective leadership and change management in NGOs.
The British Council in Colombia.
— Organised a seminar on journalism
and human rights in Bogota which was attended by 50 journalists
from different media. UK contributors provided a training component
and professional input.
The British Council in Mexico.
— Produced a short film about child
rights based on the winning story in a national competition. The
film was shown during the Easter holidays in several cinemas throughout
the capital, accompanying popular children's films.
— Organised a project in 10 Mexico
City schools which involved development of teaching materials
and links with UK schools to help children learn about child rights
and citizenship issues.
The British Council in Peru.
— Managed the third year of a radio
project with the Instituto de Defensa Legal. In 2000 the project
focused on workshops during which radio journalists from more
than 90 provincial radio stations drafted a Code of ethics with
the collaboration of the Thomson Foundation and a BBC journalist.
— Hosted a visit by a member of Electoral
Reform International Ltd to Lima to meet government officials
(including the Prime Minister), presidency candidates and representatives
of human rights NGOs, etc. The aim of the visit was to raise awareness
about the importance of electoral monitoring, especially in the
Peruvian context. Its output was a report about the pre-electoral
situation in Peru to be distributed amongst Peruvian journalists,
local organisations, relevant international organisations, etc.
— Managed a new project with the National
Co-ordinator for Human Rights, an umbrella organisation for human
rights NGOs throughout Peru, to build an extranet system that
will link approximately 60 human rights NGOs providing them with,
and allowing them to share, useful and often sensitive information.
— Worked with the Peruvian Press Council
to organise a major international seminar, Information for democracy,
to which eight British speakers contributed. Special rapporteurs
on freedom of information from the United Nations and the Organisation
of American States were also keynote speakers. The theme was access
to information and the main outcome was the Lima principles which
will form the basis of promoting access to information in Peru
and the region and of a bill to be presented to Congress during
the coming year.
The British Council in Venezuela.
— In collaboration with Venezuela's
Ministry of Justice organised a one-week visit by the Director
of the International Centre for Prison Studies of King's College
London. The purpose of the visit was to share experiences and
to discuss key issues in prison management and reform. It is hoped
that this will lead to a new two-year project focused on reform
of the prison management system and training for prison directors.
ACTIVITIES IN
EAST ASIA
AND THE
PACIFIC
The British Council in China.
— Organised a conference on domestic
violence against women to increase awareness of women's rights.
The conference was attended principally by prominent UK experts
and 150 Chinese legal professionals, academics, government officials
and social workers working in the areas of domestic violence and
was covered by the media.
— Assisted the China University of
Politics and Law to establish a Department of Human Rights Studies.
Specific help was offered in the development of human rights curricula
for legal professionals; staff capacity building; and developing
academic links, consultancy services and a human rights database.
— Funded a research study by the Centre
for Women's Law Studies and Legal Services of Peking University
into the level of implementation and awareness of the UN Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) in China. The project has resulted in the publication
of the first judicial book on CEDAW implementation in China, which
will be submitted to the relevant authorities and circulated widely
in the media and other parties involved in women's rights issues.
— Organised an exhibition on the rights
of the child and juvenile justice which focused on the issues
of protecting children from being victims of crime and measures
to prevent juveniles from becoming involved in crime. The objective
was to highlight the rights of children and their treatment under
the law and to raise the profile of the rights of children amongst
public and law organisations, especially the police. The exhibition
was aimed at young adolescents, parents, teachers, and social
workers. It included seminars, performances by British and Chinese
drama groups and other activities. Total attendance was around
10,000, of which around 8,000 were children aged 4-18.
— Organised a lecture by a UK expert
on international co-operation and new policies on combating domestic
violence.
— Worked with gender development specialists
in the drafting of amendments to the Marriage Law of China which
is currently under revision to reflect the changes—particularly
social and economic—that have taken place in the country
since it was first implemented in 1981, and to protect more adequately
women's rights and interests within and beyond marriage.
— Organised the visit of a UK human
rights lawyer to deliver lectures to Chinese legal specialists
on the British experience of incorporating the European Convention
of Human Rights into UK law. This was to assist with the incorporation
of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights
into Chinese law.
— Organised the visit of a UK consultant
to look at the potential for reform of the penal system in China,
specifically with regard to non-custodial sentences.
— Organised the visit of three senior
British police officers to provide training to senior Chinese
counterparts in developing the Chinese police supervision system
and improving its transparency.
— Organised the Sino-British Community
Legal Aid Seminar in partnership with the Chinese Ministry of
Justice. The seminar focused on community legal aid and received
official recognition and media attention. Four UK specialists
took part in the seminar and also in a series of field visits.
— Organised the visit of a group of
UK experts to assist the Legislative Affairs Commission of the
National People's Congress in their preparations for drawing up
evidence legislation. Under discussion were the major principles
in criminal evidence in English law, relevant provisions concerning
types of evidence, the duty of witnesses to give testimony and
other issues.
— Organised the visit of a group of
British lawyers to look at sentencing issues. The group visited
Chinese courts and held conferences and seminars in Beijing and
Shanghai. The Beijing conference on sentencing was attended by
around 100 participants including senior judges, prosecutors,
lawyers and students.
The British Council in Hong Kong.
— Organised a workshop on legal reform
and the internet for 30 young legal professionals from Hong Kong,
the mainland and the UK to look at the challenges and opportunities
for legal systems presented by advances in information technology.
See the website: www.britishcouncil.org.hk/macau.
The British Council in Indonesia.
— Assisted in the translation into
Indonesian, publication and launch of a reference book of human
rights fact sheets. An initial print run of 1,000 copies is being
distributed to NGOs, government (including military) institutions,
universities and libraries across the country.
— Arranged a visit by a British academic
to conduct two seminars: Towards acceptable criteria of democracy
in Indonesia and Democratisation and human rights.
The British Council in the Philippines.
— Held a multi-sectoral conference
on freedom of information, The right to know, which looked at
the issues of press freedom, censorship, sensationalism, the right
to privacy and national security.
The British Council in Thailand.
— Held a workshop facilitated by a
British theatrical group for 30 street children and 20 care workers.
The objective was to enhance their capacity for using physical
theatre as a communication tool with abused children, and to build
a network of care-workers using this approach. This activity was
a follow-up to two workshops in May 2000, and care-workers are
now actively using the new techniques. Visit the website: http://www.britishcouncil.or.th/infoexch/chmnews.htm_david.
— Co-funded the first in a series of
nine workshops for state prosecutors, training them in new techniques
for handling children in court, including the use of video evidence
and the new role of social workers in the judicial process.
ACTIVITIES IN
SOUTH ASIA
The British Council in Bangladesh.
— Held a human rights film and cartoon
festival which aimed to provide a forum for reflection and debate
on the violation and preservation of human rights. The films were
shown in Dhaka and Chittagong. Amongst the themes covered were
women's rights, child rights, migrant worker issues and general
human rights. Each show was followed by seminars and panel discussions.
— Held a workshop on the legal status
of women in Bangladesh. The workshop was intended to raise awareness
on issues surrounding the status of women in Bangladesh and to
sensitise and mobilise policy makers, opinion leaders and change
agents to consider actions to address problems. It was attended
by 120 participants from the public, voluntary and academic sectors,
as well as from the media.
— Managed a project to support women
who have survived acid attacks to help ensure they have access
to appropriate medical and legal services and assistance with
rehabilitation. Sixty per cent of victims have now received assistance.
A database was developed to record the details of incidents. A
media campaign was also established and the national government
subsequently introduced legislation to address the problem.
— Hosted the steering group meeting
for a South Asia Judicial Colloquium Series. The meeting was attended
by 18 participants, including the chief justices of Bangladesh,
India and Nepal, and judges and lawyers from the superior courts
of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the meeting
agreement was reached on the need for a three-year South Asia
Judicial Colloquium Series and a contact group of judges was established
from the region, together with an advisory group for convening
the series. A preliminary meeting subsequently took place.
— Ran a workshop entitled Effective
training for journalists on the internet to promote human rights
practice, which included basic and practical training on the emergence
of the world wide web as a new mass medium, together with more
advanced training on conceptual and theoretical issues.
The British Council in India.
— Held a four-day film and cartoon
festival on human rights. The themes addressed were human rights,
women's rights, child rights and gay/lesbian rights.
— Ran a two-day training session on
counselling for lesbians and NGOs working with women, together
with films and seminars on lesbian rights including issues related
to violence, law and the role of the media.
— Held two seminars, a poster competition
and exhibition and film shows on violence against women in Calcutta
and Nadia Districts.
— Ran five training programmes on the
rights of street children with disabilities.
— Ran a training programme on child
protection for a multi-professional group conducted by a member
of the Calcutta office and a British police officer. There were
in addition two training programmes for the Calcutta police on
community policing and child-friendly policing.
— Ran four seminars on the rights on
young people with disabilities.
The British Council in Nepal.
— Managed a training project working
with performers and community development workers on a participatory
theatre approach to the rights of women and girls. This is a three-phase
project with two phases now complete.
— Ran a human rights film and cartoon
festival to raise the profile of, and stimulate debate about,
all human rights issues in Nepal. The focus of the films was human
rights, child rights and gender-related issues. Accompanying activity
included videos, websites, seminars and panel discussions.
— Organised a training programme on
trial advocacy conducted by two UK barristers and attended by
senior legal academics and lawyers. The objectives of the event
were to raise awareness of the importance of advocacy to all lawyers
at every level of seniority and of the benefits to lawyers of
acquiring advocacy skills, and to train lawyers in advocacy techniques.
The British Council in Pakistan.
— Organised a training programme on
criminal justice and human rights at Pakistan College of Law in
Lahore. This aimed to build the capacity of the teaching faculty
at the college to incorporate human rights into its LLB programme.
— Held a national workshop on Gender
and governance to celebrate International Women's Day. Subjects
covered included politics and law; arts and literature; business,
industry and entrepreneurship; and communication, media and IT.
Other events included a poster exhibition, Women at work.
— Hosted a visit by two UK consultants
who reported on the Pakistan College of Law Lahore and on the
development of an election monitoring website.
ACTIVITIES IN
THE MIDDLE
EAST AND
NORTH AFRICA
The British Council in East Jerusalem.
— Assisted in the drafting of a five-year
development plan for the Palestinian Legislative Council which
set out the PLC's development targets and strategies for achieving
its vision. This project formed part of the Strengthening parliamentary
democracy project which is aimed at strengthening the capacity
of the PLC to serve as a democratic, professional, accountable
and responsive parliament for the Palestinian people.
— Established a Public Administration
Network of Knowledge. Continued to manage the Palestinian Rights
Programme in its second year of operation. The programme covers
issues relating to children, media, the rule of law, civil society,
and women.
— Secured an extension of two years
to the DfID Gender and law project, which is aimed at improving
the de facto and de jure protection of women's rights through
law and social and economic policy, and increasing the effectiveness
of Palestinian institutions and pressure groups working for gender
equitable legislation and policy.
— Secured a one-year extension to the
DfID Parliamentary Library project to develop the Gaza branch
of the Palestinian Legislative Council's library.
The British Council in Egypt.
— Supported the second International
conference of the human rights movement in the Arab world which
took place in Cairo in October 2000 with the theme of Human rights
education and dissemination in the 21st century. The conference
brought together around 100 human rights experts and defenders
from 40 human rights groups from 14 Arab countries, as well as
experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
— Supported the Egyptian Centre for
Women's Rights, a Cairo-based civil society organisation, in carrying
out programmes to enable women to obtain their rights and to encourage
them to participate in political life so that more women get elected
in the future.
— Worked with the Arab Centre for the
Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Professions (ACJLP)
with the aim of improving legal education in the undergraduate
faculties of law at Egyptian universities and introducing human
rights elements into their curricula.
The British Council in Jordan.
— Managed the project Towards democratic
thinking, assisting the Jordan University of Science and Technology
to develop the skills of university staff to provide university
students with extra-curricular activities which promote democracy,
civil rights, gender equity and religious and cross-cultural understanding
and respect. A pilot programme and training workshops for over
50 participants and a UK visit have taken place and more workshops
are planned.
— Continues to manage the Jordan family
protection project, the objectives of which are to build the capacity
of public and voluntary institutions in Jordan to develop and
implement an integrated strategy to prevent domestic violence
and child physical and sexual abuse. Several consultancy visits
took place during 2000 to provide technical support to working
groups on children's services, women's services and others.
The British Council in Lebanon.
— Managed the visit of UK specialists
to take part in an international mission to look at the state
of prisons in Lebanon and make recommendations for penal reform.
A week of prison visits was followed by a conference in Beirut
which was attended by over 130 members of the Lebanese legal profession
and security forces. The recommendations of the mission were presented
to the Government of Lebanon in August.
The British Council in Morocco.
— Organised training for representatives
of the media, focusing on economic reporting.
— Ran human rights awareness raising
workshops, facilitated by UK experts, on behalf of the Moroccan
Centre for Human Rights Documentation and Training. Representatives
of NGOs, journalists, lawyers and parliamentarians took part.
Assistance is also being given to the Centre to set up a website.
— Organised two visits by a UK consultant
to set up a working group and to develop materials and training
for human rights education and a distance learning programme.
— Managed a project to develop materials
and training for the introduction of human rights teaching into
the secondary school curriculum. A follow-up visit to the UK by
a group of teachers was also arranged.
— Ran a seminar on alternatives to
imprisonment with international (including UK) speakers. The seminar
focused specifically on community service and probation.
— Organised the visit of a UK consultant
to carry out the training needs analysis for a training programme
in specific areas of management and business for the magistrates
of the Marrakech Commercial Court of Appeal and the Court of First
Instance.
— Managed a project on civil service
reform which addressed issues connected with the evaluation and
recruitment of civil servants and which considered the feasibility
of introducing a Citizens' Charter in Morocco.
The British Council in the Sudan.
— Organised with a British lawyer training
in human rights awareness for 20 members of the judiciary.
— Arranged the visit of a UK consultant
to conduct a training course on legislative drafting for 20 senior
members of the Ministry of Justice and the Advisory Council on
Human Rights. The focus of the training was the incorporation
of human rights into Sudanese law.
— Hosted a number of lectures on various
human rights related themes including Law and human rights in
the UK, Penal reforms in Africa, and Inter-religious dialogue.
The British Council in Yemen.
— Managed the final year of a three-year
project, Children painting their rights, which aimed to raise
awareness of the rights of the child in Yemen using creative media.
An exhibition of paintings by children was held in the National
Museum and was followed by smaller touring exhibitions which also
featured lectures, music and the distribution of learning materials
for children.
ACTIVITIES IN
EUROPE
The British Council in Bulgaria.
— Hosted a visit by the UK Commission
for Racial Equality and the European Monitoring Centre on Racism
and Xenophobia for initial discussions with the National Council
on Ethnic and Demographic Issues on the feasibility of Bulgaria
establishing a similar structure to the Commission for Racial
Equality within the framework of a new law on discrimination.
A further visit was made by the Commission for Racial Equality
on the invitation of the Council of Ministers to help its work
in developing the draft of Bulgaria's anti-discrimination Act.
— Ran the first phase of a police-child
protection project with the Bulgarian National Police and the
European Network of Policewomen-Bulgaria. This included a working
meeting on the development of the secondary regulations for police-child
protection in accordance with the New Child Law; an exploratory
visit by a British police inspector to work with the national
police; and a roundtable to develop a co-ordination mechanism
for state institutions on the reasons for the new law.
The British Council in Croatia.
— Organised a bilateral conference,
Working for a new Europe, in which Croatian and UK participants
discussed issues relating to globalisation and human rights in
the two countries and in Europe as a whole.
The British Council in Hungary.
— At the invitation of the Office of
the National Council of Justice, worked with the British-Hungarian
Law Association to arrange seminars enabling senior members of
the legal profession to acquire skills regarding specific articles
of the European Convention on Human Rights and their application
in Hungary. Senior UK judges and barristers visited Hungary on
two occasions to provide training. The events were very successful
with over 280 senior Hungarian judges and lawyers attending and
receiving training.
— Organised a project with the Hungarian
Women's Association and the Active Learning Centre, UK, to provide
training to 30 trainers from Hungarian women's organisations,
ministries and trade unions with each trainer developing skills
and understanding in the implementation of equality legislation
and the roles of government, employers and civil society in raising
equality strategies to European standards. The project also developed
a Hungarian training manual about ways in which civil society
can co-operate with government in managing equality standards,
to be used in the future training of Hungarian civil society organisations.
The British Council in Italy.
— Organised the Taormina conference
on Framing peace: The practice and principles of humanitarian
and peace operations—a British-Italian dialogue. The conference
drew together practitioners and analysts from national and international
agencies, including the UN, OSCE, NGOs, the media, the military,
as well as academics, human rights experts and lawyers and examined
issues such as the role of the UN and the Security Council, the
role of the military in recent interventions, and the role of
NGOs and non-state agencies.
The British Council in Romania.
— Ran a project to improve the understanding
of Romanian judges and prosecutors of the practical implications
of the UN Convention on Human Rights in Romania. The conference
that launched the project was attended by approximately 50 judges
and prosecutors from all over Romania. The project also included
a visit by a senior British judge to take part in a training course
for newly appointed judges and ongoing training for judges with
experience.
— Worked with Save the Children Fund
Romania and the UK Children's Society on the development of a
public awareness campaign on a child's right to enjoy a family
life. This culminated in a day of major public events including
a human chain round the government building as well as the production
of a study and leaflets for the public on child abandonment in
Romania.
The British Council in Russia.
— Worked with the College of Law on
a DfID-funded project for the training of trainers for the judiciary.
The training was attended by 16 participants, including district
and city court judges but also prosecutors and defence lawyers,
and officials from federal legal institutions.
The British Council in Slovakia.
— Has been funding a long-standing
project to develop support strategies for the educational integration
of hearing-impaired students into mainstream classes with special
emphasis on social inclusion and the rights of all children to
a good quality education. In 2000 a specialised in-service course
was delivered to train teachers in specific topics of educational
integration.
The British Council in Turkey.
— Organised a national seminar entitled
Are children's rights human rights? The seminar was opened
by the Minister of Justice and focused on the implementation of
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Turkey. It examined
some important issues in child rights, including the rights of
children in institutions and adoption and fostering. The seminar
launched a new Children's Rights Centre in Turkey, established
with the support of the British Council.
— Held a series of trainers' workshops
on legal skills for human rights lawyers. The aim of the workshops
was to equip lawyers better to represent their clients, particularly
before the European Court of Human Rights. The training was delivered
by lawyers from bar associations around Turkey with support from
the College of Law.
— Organised a national seminar on the
management of prisons. The seminar was opened by the Minister
of Justice and was attended by more than 70 people from both government
and human rights NGOs and was broadcast live on Turkish television.
The British Council in Ukraine.
— Ran the first multi-agency child
protection workshop in Ukraine, in partnership with the Ukrainian
Family Planning Association, and involving representatives of
the police force, the social and medical professions, and teachers.
This was the first in a series of workshops covering all major
regions of the country.
— Hosted a conference with UNAIDS to
sum up the results of a year-long project aimed at developing
coalitions between NGOs working with, and comprised of, commercial
sex workers, and between them and the medical and law enforcement
authorities.
— Organised a key-note lecture on the
policing of sexual crime in the UK for Ukrainian police cadet
officers, delivered by Dr Tina Skinner of the University of Leicester.
The British Council
30 November 2001
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