[hr-education] Training of trainers programme to combat torture in Tamil Nadu (India)

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you our efforts in the field of combating
torture in association with and to strengthen the Campaign Against Torture
- Tamil Nadu. We are organizing a Trainers' Training Program in
association with Asian Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong), Commonwealth
Human Rights Initiative (New Delhi), Socio-Legal Information Centre (New
Delhi) and the World Organization Against Torture (Geneva) and a series of
ten Zonal Training Programs aiming to train 750 activists throughout the
State of Tamil Nadu.

People's Watch - Tamil Nadu functions as the Secretariat of the CAT - TN
which now brings together Women's Organisations, Dalit Organisations,
Organisations working with Muslim Minorities, NGOs, several campaigns and
Human Rights Organisations throughout the State.  The plans for this year
are as follows :

1.      A Trainers Training on torture from 17th to 21st May 2004 in
Coimbatore for about 60 participants (each of the trained will be making a
commitment to engage themselves in a few of the zonal training programs
that would follow for the following one month and also in the monitoring
task on torture issues that take place for the next 6 months at least).

2.      10 Zonal training programs from 22nd May till 25th of June of 2
days duration, each covering 75 participants involving the trainers trained
in the 5 day program TOT to be conducted in 10 different places in Tamilnadu.

3.      Cultural training program for the yathra team members (25 in
number) at RDS, Chengalpattu from 21st to 25th June 2004 preparing the
two  teams for a one month yathra.

4.      On 26th of June, the one month cultural yathra with 2 vehicles each
with a cultural team, one starting from Chennai and the other from
Kanyakumari, covering the entire State in 2 parts for a whole month with a
series of performances.  Do not forget that 26th June is the UN
International Day of Solidarity with Victims of Torture.

5.      On 25th June, a public hearing will be conducted jointly by the
National and Tamil Nadu State Women's Commissions focusing on sexual
violence in the school campus in Tamil Nadu.

6.      On 26th June, the International Day of Solidarity with Victims of
Torture shall be observed and this shall also be accompanied by a one day
State level seminar in Chennai focusing on Torture - making our school
campuses  safe- in relation to sexual violence and corporal punishment
-  based on the extensive monitoring study of the same covering about 150
cases initiated by People's Watch -Tamil Nadu.

7.      After June, these 750 trained activists from the 30 districts of
Tamil Nadu along with 70 trainers will be engaged in a very close
monitoring on the issues of torture, involving cases of  police torture,
cases of corporal punishment, cases of violence against women, a very close
meticulous documentation of the cases will be undertaken and the cases thus
documented in each of the districts will then be followed up in the Courts,
before the National Human Rights Institutions in India  and before the
relevant UN Bodies, using the 1503 procedure, the Special Rapporteur on
Torture, the Special Rapportuer on Violence Against Women etc .  They will
be followed up with the filing of appropriate  criminal cases against the
perpetrators in each of the cases, they will also be followed up with
medical and other rehabilitation.

8.      In December 2004, coinciding with the 10th of December shall be
held a public hearing which shall also see the release of a 6 month report
on torture in Tamil Nadu with the cases that are documented.  These are
efforts in the next 6 months arising from these trainers training program
of May 2004.

The program schedule and the resource materials used in the program will be
made available on our website www.pwtn.org

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

Henri Tiphagne,
Executive Director,
People's Watch - Tamil Nadu



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