HRC Act to be reviewed

by Franklin R.Satyapalan

Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe yesterday said that he had submitted a Resolution to Parliament to set up a Parlimentry Select Committee to review the Human Rights Commission Act to strengthen it further and especially bring in provisions for the enforcement of their recommendations.

"This would pave the way to effectively deal with so called human rights violations before it culminates in major damage." Samarasinghe said.

This he said was in response to the proposal put forward by civic groups demanding the setting up of an Ombudsman for Human Rights.

He said he did not think there was an immediate need for an Ombudsman when there were host of institutions to deal with human rights issues. The Ombudsman in Parliament – the Parliamentry Reforms Committee, the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Human Rights and the Supreme Court to file Fundamental Rights applications.

"What we need today, to deal with these so called human rights violations, is to strengthen the capacity in these National Institutions. We have to relegate more enforcement powers to the National Human Rights Commission and educate the public on the fundamental rights they are entitled to," Samarasinghe said."