Leaders should move quickly to establish a Human Rights Commission to help safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the 2007 Constitution.
The Virgin Islands, we fear, is by no means immune to human rights abuses. Whether they come at the hands of an unscrupulous employer, because of a systemic failure in government bureaucracy, or for any other reason, they should not be tolerated.
Too often, however, we suspect that victims — who naturally would tend to come from the most vulnerable segments of the population — are unable to find justice.
Some do not know enough about their rights to understand when those rightshave been violated. Others cannot afford an attorney to take their grievances to court, which often would be their only recourse. Still others fear retribution if they speak up.
The HRC, which would be charged with investigating reported violations, would provide a new avenue for redress. It would also do much more.
Under a draft bill introduced in the House of Assembly in April, the commission would be charged with various responsibilities:
• serving as a watchdog;
• educating the public about human rights;
• advising government agencies on proper practices; and
• reporting violations to the attorney general, among others.
By carrying out these functions, the HRC would help the territory meet international standards, such as those laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
Unfortunately, the VI bill that was introduced in April was dropped from the agenda of subsequent HOA meetings.
We hope this hitch does not portend further delays. After all, legislators have been promising the law since shortly after the new Constitution took effect in 2007.They should waste no more time in passing it.
The new law, however, won’t be enough: Too often in the VI, well-meaning legislation is passed and then effectively ignored. The commission, then, also must be provided with the necessary staff, facilities and resources to function smoothly.
Complaints Commissioner Elton Georges, a vocal proponent of an HRC, has suggested that the agency’s powers could be vested in his office for the time being, rather than in a new government bureaucracy.
As a first step, this idea seems sound, at least until a separate agency can be properly established.
An HRC is much needed in this territory, and leaders should do what it takes to establish one as soon as possible.
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