OMCT Regional Training in Asia: call for applications

 

OMCT COMPLAINTS TRAINING

Call for applications

                                                                       

PLACE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8 to 12 April  2013

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) cordially invites you to apply to its upcoming regional complaints training, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from to 8 to 12 April 2013.

The purpose of the workshop is to train jurists and lawyers working for or with human rights organisations in the Asia-Pacific region on how to prepare and effectively litigate individual complaints involving violations of the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment before the United Nations Treaty Bodies.

The Workshop will gather 15 participants for an inter-active 5-day litigation training session. Below follows some preliminary information on the training. Participants selected will receive a detailed programme in due course.

Aims of the training

The aim of the complaints training is primarily practical, namely to equip participants with the knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to prepare and successfully litigate cases involving violations of the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment before the Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture. To achieve this aim, the 5-day training will focus on a select number of issues which, in the OMCT's experience, pose particular challenges in the context of torture and ill-treatment, including: 1) admissibility rules and their application; 2) evidence and the "establishment of facts" and 3) the writing of effective pleadings. Recent trends in relevant international and regional jurisprudence will also be addressed.

Methodology of the training

The 5-day programme will involve presentations by experienced practitioners and OMCT staff members. The programme will also include interactive group discussions, case studies and skills-development exercises. The latter will focus primarily on the drafting of legal pleadings.

Training Materials

The trainings will primarily be based on Volume 4 of the OMCT Handbook Series: Seeking Remedies for Torture Victims: a Handbook for Victims and Their Advocates[1]. The book is a practical guide covering most of the topics, which will be addressed during the training. Specifically, it provides a step-by-step description of the practice, procedure and jurisprudence of the HCR, CAT and CEDAW. Participants will be expected to be familiar with the book. 

Selection of Participants

The training is intended for lawyers and jurists members or working for NGOs that have limited experience with the individual complaints procedures and who wish to add this type of action to their regular advocacy strategies.

Preference will be given to participants coming from countries that have accepted the competence of the Committee against Torture and/or the Human Rights Committee to receive individual communications through the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights[2] or the declaration pursuant to article 22 of the Convention against Torture.[3] These countries notably include Cambodia, Republic of Korea, the Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

OMCT will also seek the participation of jurists and lawyers working with or for NGOs who would be interested in jointly filing complaints with the OMCT Secretariat as a follow-up to the training. The number of participants is limited and OMCT will consider the registrations in the order they are received.

 Practical Information

OMCT will cover participants' travel expenses (return air fare to Kuala Lumpur), accommodation and daily subsistence during the training. OMCT will facilitate the obtaining of a visa for Malaysia through issuance of an official letter of invitation. The language of the training will be English. Participants are required to have a good knowledge of English, since there will be no interpretation.

To Register

Please send your curriculum vitae, a cover letter, a reference letter from the Head of the human rights organisation you represent/support and the attached registration form no later than 28 February 2013 to trainings@omct.org

The cover and reference letters should clearly demonstrate the commitment of the human rights organisation you support /represent to submit complaints to the Committee against Torture and/or the Human Rights Committee.

The application can also be sent by fax to +41 (0) 22 809 49 29 but must be received no later than February 28, 2013.

All documents must be attached ideally in PDF format. You are also required to send your application in a single message. Application sent in different messages will not be considered.