Advice to Government

The TCIHRC plays a crucial role in advising the government on a wide range of human rights issues. Our responsibilities include the following four key areas:

• Reviewing Legislation: Assessing new and existing laws to ensure they are compliant with human rights standards
• Policy Recommendations: Reviewing policies to ensure there are no human rights infractions, and to make recommendations accordingly
• Monitoring & Compliance: Routine checkups ensuring that government actions and policies are in line with national and international human rights standards
• Public Education: Developing training modules to assist civil servants in ensuring human rights infractions are avoided, while also raising the public’s awareness of their rights

Here is a breakdown to help you further understand some of the key areas in which we advise the government:

Each new legislation proposed by the government is reviewed in detail to ensure that it respects and promotes human rights. Our reviews are based on international conventions, including:

• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child
• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
• The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

To ensure that human rights obligations are adhered to at the highest level, monitoring of detention facilities such as His Majesty’s Prison, Immigration, and the Detention Center is routinely carried out.

After conducting assessments, reports outlining any areas of concern and recommended actions are submitted to government for consideration.

These reports are usually one of the following formats:

• Annual Reports: Comprehensive reports on the state of human rights in the Turks and Caicos Islands, submitted to the government and made publicly available
• Special Reports: Focused reports on specific human rights issues, such as conditions in places of detention

The TCI Human Rights Commission not only has a responsibility to enhance the public’s awareness and understanding of their human rights, but also to ensure that government agencies are knowledgeable about and compliant with these standards. To achieve this, we regularly collaborate with government entities to provide training on human rights standards and the effective approaches to ensuring they’re upheld.

Our primary methods of training and capacity building include:

• Workshops and Seminars: Training sessions for government officials, law enforcement, and other stakeholders on human rights standards and norms
• Educational Materials: Developing and distributing resources across the TCI to ensure awareness of human rights

Our approach to advising the government is collaborative and evidence-based. We work closely with various stakeholders, such as government ministries to provide tailored advice and support, local and international civil society organizations to ensure a broad perspective on human rights issues, and international bodies to ensure we remain up to date with global standards and practices. Our aim remains to ensure that human rights standards are properly maintained within the TCI, both inside and outside of government entities.