ISS Seminar, Addis Ababa: Benin Workshop: Capacity Building in Lobbying for Criminal Justice System Reforms
Date: 2010-06-09
Venue: Marina Hotel
RSVP: WANEP: Julien Oussou tel: +229 97 60 96 05 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +229 97 60 96 05      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or +229 90 11 93 97).
Constant Gnacadja,[email protected]; tel: +229 90 97 76 47 or +229 95 06 56 15). The office line is +229 21 30 99 39
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The African Human Security Initiative and WANEP are inviting you to a one day workshop to build capacity in civil society organizations to lobby for reforms in select areas of the criminal justice system.
Programme
| 8:30-8:45 |
Registration (arrival tea) |
| Chair : Julien Oussou (WANEP) |
| 8:45-9:00 |
Opening remarks (TBC) |
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Introduction and project background-Dr. Annie Chikwanha |
| 9:00-10:15 |
Lobbying techniques for security reforms: the West and Southern African experience --Yvonne Chibiya (HURIDETSA) and Murtala Touray (WANEP) |
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The use of statistics in advocacy work -- Dr. Tony Karbo (UPEACE) |
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Discussion |
| 10:15-11:00 |
Broadening access to justice -- Prof Christophe Kougniazonde |
| 11:00-11:15 |
Tea break |
| 11:15-12:30 |
Lobbying for restorative justice in Benin (TBC) |
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Discussion |
| 12:30-13:30 |
Lunch break |
| 13:30-15:30 |
Prison Reform and Prisoner Rehabilitation in Benin -Dr. Phillipe Hounkpatin |
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Enhancing access to justice for Juveniles -Dr. Corneille Zannou |
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Discussion |
| 15:30-16:30 |
Concluding remarks and the way forward- Julien Oussou (WANEP) |
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Closing remarks – Murtala Touray [WANEP] |
Concept note
After conducting a review of the status of the criminal justice system in Benin in 2008, AHSI and WANEP will be conducting a one day workshop to build capacity in civil society organizations to lobby for reforms in select areas of the criminal justice system. Monitoring and reporting on ongoing reforms in the sector is absolutely necessary to promote the observance of international human rights standards and it is also necessary for identifying where ongoing reform is needed. This training workshop therefore targets all actors working on human rights and in the security sector as well as key actors in the criminal justice system such as police commissioners, members of the judiciary, key officers from the Ministry of Justice and prison directors. With the goal of building capacity in the justice system, the workshop will cover different topics. The themes below will be the main focus of the workshop:
Lobbying techniques and the Southern African experience
This session will have both theoretical and empirical based presentations on lobbying/advocacy techniques and how they can be applied to the criminal justice sector in the country. The Southern African experience will provide a comparative case as well as demonstrate the importance of CSOs involvement in monitoring the performance of the criminal justice system.
Access to justice
This section will give a broad overview of what needs to be done to improve access of Benin’s citizens to justice. Vulnerable groups within the community, including women, illiterate people and youth are at particular risk and advocacy skills targeting these will be emphasized and specific techniques for increasing their access to justice will be prioritised.
Prison Reform and Prisoner Rehabilitation in Benin
The goal is to raise awareness and advocate for a new approach that includes both government and civil society organizations working in partnership to enhance the human security of prisoners. By exploring the issues of prison reform, prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration, the aim will be to improving the equal treatment and human dignity of individuals sentenced for Penal Offences.
Lobbying for restorative justice in Benin
The issues surrounding crime and punishment are demanding new solutions across the continent. This session focuses on ways to lobby for the promotion of restorative justice in the criminal justice system. Some basic training on restorative justice theory and practice is thus both essential for both the lobbyists and for members of the Benin criminal justice system especially the correctional services staff.
Juvenile justice
Though there are some legal persons or organization that have taken responsibility to ensure that young people are not detained unnecessarily, there is still a need for broadening youth advocacy, i.e. the individuals and local organizations that speak about the rights of children who are in trouble with the law.
All the themes will be articulated using the data from the review conducted in 2008 by AHSI.
Who will attend?
CSOs, activists and individuals that work on human rights, peace and conflict
Community organisations
Journalists
Researchers and academics
Officials from the criminal justice sector
Religious organizations especially those that work with ex-prisoners
Outcomes
The desired outcome will be a CSO plan for a coordinated advocacy approach to lobbying for reforms in the criminal justice sector so that the groups can continue to monitor and track progress on reforms. This also creates space for CSOs to participate in policy formulation in the security sector.
