Mary Francis Calls For A National Human Rights Organisation

In observance of International Human Rights Day on Sunday, Human Rights Advocate Mary Francis has asserted that guarantees of civil and political rights in Saint Lucia are merely rights on paper. The outspoken Attorney at Law explained that the avenue for getting redress when the state breaches those rights is limited. The National Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights Director stated that most people at the lower economic end do not have the means to go to court. As a result, Francis has called for for a national human rights organisation that the government could fund. She explained that the organisation could be a coordinating body. “That organisation could do research to ensure our laws are in line with the constitutional provisions for human rights and international conventions that we have signed,” Francis told St. Lucia Times. She also said the organisation could receive petitions from individuals whose rights have been breached. Francis believed it was time for the government to establish such a human rights body, noting that the United Nations had called on Saint Lucia to do so. In addition, she reiterated a call to the government to address the state’s ‘grave human rights violations’ regarding the...