The Rural Human Rights Activists Program (RHRAP) continues to enhance the capacity of police and correction officers to improve their services at places of assignments in an effort to promote an effective Criminal Justice System (CJS).
RHRAP training focused on “Growing Human Rights perspectives in policing and correction and is intended to promote fundamental human rights, democratic values, and rule of law in Liberia”.
The project falls under the banner, “Strengthening Democracy and Respect for Fundamental Human Rights of Prisoners in Liberia” and it is being implemented by the Rural Human Rights Activists Program (RHRAP) in partnership with Serving Humanity, Education and Development (SHED) who is the project lead with funding from the European Union (EU).
In a press statement issued on Monday, RHRAP’s two-day training session for 30 officers included 15 Police and 15 Correction officers in Margibi County.
On March 4-5, another batch of officers, batch of 30 Police and Correction officers were again trained in Bong County at the YMCA Building in Gbarnga City.
The advocacy group expects the officers that participated in the training sessions to use the knowledge and skills acquired to enforce the law in line with the constitution of Liberia as well as international human rights standards that will add values to the Liberian democratic system.
The advocacy group is said to also be involved with follow ups monitoring visits to police withholding cells, prisons and see how the officers are applying the knowledge and skills gained from the various capacity building trainings provided; noting that “The trainings complement national government efforts in upholding the rule of law, fundamental human rights of residents which are fundamental pillars to genuine democratic system”.
The group narrated that the program is a three-year project focused on Bong, Margibi and Nimba Counties respectively and is geared towards enhancing the capacity of various actors at various levels which seeks to contribute to an effective justice system, genuine democracy and the adherence to rule of law in Liberia.
The Rural Human Rights Activists Program (RHRAP) Inc. is a human rights and peace organization that was established in December 1997 by a group of activists who believed that the message of human rights should be spread into the rural areas so as to educate the rural inhabitants on issues of human rights, peace and social developments.
