Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre (entrance)

I recently concluded a series of human rights workshops with inmates at the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre,  located in Portmore, St. Catherine (Jamaica). The experience has left me hopeful–on account of participants’ enthusiasm to learn about human rights and quickly apply their newly honed skills to secure better living standards and quality of life; as well as institutional leaders’ enthusiasm to obtain materials and demand that workshops be designed for them as well.

Over the duration of my visit I have sought to: impart knowledge about human rights, advocacy, the Access to Information Act, networking and communications, leadership, conflict, group development, and participatory governance; transfer skills in: leadership, advocacy, and networking and communications; and gather data about inmates’ experiences realizing their economic and social rights (ESR), as well as the preparedness of Fort Augusta for development and participatory governance, via large group discussions, surveys, face-to-face conversations, and general observation.

View of Rehabilitation Unit and Training Rooms at Fort Augusta

It was quite encouraging finding that both the inmates and staff were interested in learning about human rights, not merely in order to protect themselves, but to better serve the Fort Augusta community. In fact, in conversations with institutional leaders such as the superintendents, assistant superintendents, and officers, I was asked to use my findings to help them lobby for and integrate a human rights approach in their work. Critical human rights tools were requested and disseminated to institutional leaders and inmates, and I was given the charge, by inmates and Superintendent Pitter to advocate to the Ministry of National Security (MNS) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to take their human rights challenges seriously and consider mainstreaming it within the institution. To fulfill this charge, I must now assume the role of advocate in order to represent the issue to the various stakeholders.

In addition to universal education about human rights, which staff and inmates had consensus about. Inmates also noted that particular situations needed urgent attention if the institution was to be seen as fulfilling their fundamental rights as laid out in the: Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, and the Corrections Act (Jamaica). The major complaints of the inmates are listed below:

1. Absence of a decent and routine family day–We don’t get to touch our kids, even if they visit. Of the 19 participants who were present at the Assessment Workshop, 10 were mothers who attested to not seeing their children in over one year. Of the 10 inmates who had not seen their children, at least six of them are Jamaicans, who have children in the island. The inability to see children is worsened by the fact that telephone calls to children are only permitted during the week and at hours when they are at school,
2. Roach infestation–I work in the kitchen and both it and the laundry area are infested with roaches. Even the seasoning for the food has roaches in it,
3. Rat infestation–the rats are very big, the size of mongooses, and they are in our dorms. We can’t sleep at nights,
4. Absence of toilet and shower facilities–there are no toilets and showers in the punishment block. We have to use buckets to defaecate in. I was there for about two consecutive months and I had to use newspapers as my toilet. People pass on the outdoor of the block and see us while we bathe inside,
5. Inadequate access to medical care–persons with medical conditions and illnesses  don’t get to see a doctor until at least one month after reporting the problem. There are persons with toothache who can’t see the dentist. I have had this condition on my foot since November, and four months have lapsed since I reported it. It is worsening but I can’t get the attention of a doctor,
   
6. Inability to realize all our rights to visitors–We are short changed or our visit times, as we are allowed five minutes rather than the regulated 15 minutes. Further, only three individuals are allowed to register to visit an inmate at a time, which takes six months to process for eligibility. If there are unforeseen circumstances, like loss of employment, which impair registered visitors, the inmate will have to wait another six months before a new batch of visitors are eligible. Inmates often times do not get their special meals during holidays like Christmas, on account of this situation,
7. Lack of privacy when inmates get visitors–An officer is always there, which makes it quite difficult and uncomfortable to talk with family and get emotional support,
8. Inadequate access to telecommunications–there are three phone booths and only one is working. This situation has made it very difficult to keep in touch with family, as two dorms comprising of a maximum of 28 inmates are allowed to use the sole functioning phone. Jamaican nationals get two minutes conversational time, and non-Jamaicans get five minutes, which expires by the time the connection is made overseas,
9. Slow processing and transfer of funds–foreigners have difficulty getting their money, which is sent by relatives. One British national noted that her brother had sent her cash (pounds) in a letter in September 2008, from which she was given the letter, but not the cash. On contacting the prison administration she was told that the money was lodged and is being processed. Since being told that she made three official requests (in writing), after which she was told that she should wait for them to contact her. Six months have now passed and the money has not been given to the inmate,
10. Unavailability of nutritious food–the tuck shop supplies only sweet juices and snacks, which does not encourage a healthy diet for our physical development and monthly nutritional needs,
11. No remuneration for employment within or outside the institution
12. Lack of access to grooming tools
13. Lack of uniformity of treatment of inmates by officers

Inmates maintaining Fort Augusta's Grounds

These challenges are certainly not insurmountable, and I believe that the stakeholders of Fort Augusta–Major Reese (Permanent Secretary, MNS), Dr. Edwards-Kerr (Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, MNS), Mrs. June Jarret (Acting Commissioner of Corrections, DCS), Mrs. Mabel Morris (Inmate Welfare Coordinator, DCS), Mrs. Sylvia Passley (Rehabilitation Coordinator, DCS), Mr. Courtney Gordon (Education Coordinator, DCS), Superintendent Kelly (Fort Augusta), Superintendent Pitter (Fort Augusta), Assistant Superintendent Schloss (Fort Augusta), Corporal Appleton (Fort Augusta), and Fort Augusta inmates–have the right attitude for development. I can’t wait to see the outcome of my charge, to advocate for the institutionalization of human rights at Fort Augusta–What a model this would be for Jamaican communities,  Fort Augusta: Prepared for Development!

Leaving Fort Augusta (with the prison behind this is the road ahead)

Queen Nanny of the Maroons (Jamaican $500 bill)

Quao’s Act gave the Jamaican Maroons, freedom and autonomy to govern their lives and community, independent of the Jamaican or any other external government. This Act positions them in a very unique socioeconomic and cultural space–where land taxes are not paid, as is the case of  the Moore Town and Scots Hall Maroons, and until recently, the Charles Town Maroons, through their Council,  policed their community and tried criminals in indigenous courts for all crimes, except murder.

Respect Yourself, Know Your Rights, JFJ

My education workshop on socioeconomic rights and justice, facilitated at Asafu Yard in Charles Town (Buff Bay), Portland on Saturday, March 7, 2009 was rather inspiring. Discussions revealed a desire to lobby for the reinstatement of the Maroon Police and Judicial System as a solution to community crime  and police brutality. The arguments in favor of this system included:

1. Need to curtail petty crimes, especially theft, which has become a nuisance to residents, and is perpetuated by residents from within the community,
2. Need to protect young men from the community who are frequently abused by the state police during community patrols,
3. Need to re-establish their right to autonomous governance over certain matters, as laid out by Quao’s Act,
4. Need to re-establish an effective, accountable, and transparent police and judicial system, which is respectful of Maroon rights and culture,
5. Need to elevate meritocratic and servant leadership models as the acceptable governance styles and practices–these are in stark contrast to the elective approach, typical of partisan politics and the appointment of the Member of Parliament.

Quao's Act, Jamaica

Captain Richard Irving, leader of the young farmer’s association is hailed by Colonel Frank Lumsden as a true servant leader–he strives to build the community; is dedicated to the growth of people; is aware of his strengths and capabilities, as well as the strengths of others; is futuristic; persuasive; has foresight; is a confidante; healer; listener. In plain language, he gives selflessly to Charles Town.

Maroon Museum (side view) from Asafu Yard

With such leaders sitting on the Maroon Council, Charles Town intends to advocate for the reinstatement of their police and justice system. Participants at the workshop commenced preliminary discussions about the ensuing community mobilization, advocacy and policy development activities that would be required–The idea of working collectively to solve local security challenges and justice issues was endorsed and encouraged by George Williams, Justice of the Peace in Charles Town and Pastor at a local church. He articulated confidence in the Maroon Council’s ability to provide accountable and transparent leadership, which he says is currently a dream in contemporary Jamaican politics.

A Dedication to Maroon Culture: Asafu Yard and Museum

Through my workshops, I attempt to encourage community leaders to participate actively in the governance process–something the Maroon Council has been doing since the 17oos, when Jamaica was a slave outpost. Maroon sovereignty resulted in the establishment of an indigenous governance system, which predates Jamaica’s independence by almost 200 years. With the passing of time and changes in the socioeconomic and political dynamics of Jamaica and the world, the Maroon Council has lost much of its influence and strength,  resulting in growing non-compliance to decisions and judgments and increased interventions by state police in local issues.

Musket used in Maroon War, Jamaica

The Justice of the Peace believes that Charles Town residents are resilient and creative people who, through their rich history, have provided model leadership and governance–unmatched in Jamaica today. National Heroine Nanny of the Maroons is an icon of African femininity in the West–her cauldron, which is still a source of Maroon inspiration, warms the spirits of today’s leaders, Colonel Lumsden and Captain Irving, who desire to demonstrate, through the Maroon Council, a model community governance system.

Nanny's Cauldron was deadly to Redcoates, but protected Maroons

Demonstration against Policies of the World Bank and IMF, 2005

Over the past three years, I have conducted social research amongst 30 communities involving some 600 Jamaicans, and over that time, I have realized that people are genuinely convinced that public (political) demonstration is the single most successful advocacy strategy that can bring about social change. In a recent workshop involving members of the Maroon Town community in St. James, I was informed by a participant that demonstrating was the tactic employed by their forefathers to fight the system of slavery, and “until now it is only thing that we, the people, can do to get the politicians to respond to and address our social needs”. Other participants alluded to popular news (video) clips of local demonstrators and their apparent success in getting needs addressed on account of demonstrating.

Political demonstrations are popular protest forms in Jamaica because people get to articulate their message of frustration with a particular situation in a quick and efficient manner–all the relevant authorities and leaders at the parochial and national (sometimes regional and international) levels receive the message simultaneously, and they see that the people are not bluffing, “Enough is enough, we will not go on any further like this, you must do something Now!” With this approach, the community is relieved of the burden of community and personal empowerment for community development and sustainability. In other words, there will be no need for fancy letters, elaborate meetings where more promises are made, and further more the hard work and cost associated with capacity development of the people to do something that the Member of Parliament was voted in to carry out is eliminated. If we follow this thinking, Jamaica can easily have a unique community demonstrating everyday for more than a year. There are more than 700 communities in Jamaica, each comprised of smaller districts. In the Maroon Town Development Area, there are 12 districts, each comprised of 300-500 households.

Is political demonstration really the most efficient way for our communities to advocate for social change?

Community education and capacity development on rights, advocacy, and leadership, are presented as options to communities, but leaders noted that the potential for those to make meaningful and sustainable social change will be affected by the following:

1. High rates of political apathy at the community-based organization level
2. Limited security and voting rights  by some members of inner-city communities
3. Migration of the most empowered from the rural and inner-city communities
4. Growing tendency towards individualism
5. Limited political power, clout, and influence of community organizations and leaders to hold elected representatives accountable
6. Limited community development programs and support
7. Lack of respect for constituents and lack of transparency by elected representatives
8. Lack of prioritization of constituents needs by elected representatives.

Elements of Advocacy

With all this said, do you still wonder why communities keep on demonstrating?

The Government of Jamaica put new laws in place to control demonstrations, and not even the Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, was speared by the police, when he and a group of representatives from the Jamaica Labour Party dared to demonstrate before Jamaica House. Historically, political demonstrations have played major roles in bringing about social change across the world. In Jamaica, this is also the case, and with it comes the possibility of political conflict between the state (represented by the armed police force, on hand) and the affected group (made of unarmed, but very disgruntled citizens on the other). Such conflicts are particularly noticeable when the political rights of the people (affected group) to assembly and speech are not respected by the state. Despite laws stating that demonstrations are to be planned and brought to the attention of the police via formal letters, community leaders believe that this will only doom their demonstration exercises, as their efforts will be blocked. Regular Jamaicans therefore see the law as an attempt, by the Government, to minimize their political power, which creates social change. In the eyes of community leaders the choices for social change are few:

1. Seek education and capacity development to empower the community to contribute tangibly to social change and creating indigenous solutions
2. Flout the demonstration laws and risk your life, because you believe that by not doing so you will never get the requisite attention, or
3. Be apathetic to community development and doom your life to inadequate living conditions.

Though education and emowerment for community development is a long term investment with long term results–it will provide sustainable social benefits to individuals, as well as the Jamaican society. Certainly, risking life and dooming ourselves to underdevelopment are not natural human tendencies, so although our frustrations and passions might stimulate us to conceptualize a demonstration as a core strategy for social change, let’s resist this urge and build ourselves so that we can create a coordinated advocacy and community development campaign, in which demonstrations are just one of the many strategies for addressing the problems we face.

Maldon Baptist Church, Maroon Town

Participatory governance is a central theme in contemporary development literature and has dominated much of my work with community representatives over the past three years. The leaders of the Maroon Town Community in St. James, Jamaica, got their cup full of the concept during the delivery of human rights and participatory governance workshops between January 27-29, 2009. The workshops were facilitated at the Maldon Baptist Church in the community and were attended by an average of 20 participants, on each of the three days.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) played the lead role in mobilizing community leaders and preparing the community to receive us. It was a passionate three days with leaders representing a number of district level organizations, including: Chatsworth All Age School, Maldon High School, Summer Hill SDA Church, SDC, Maldon Primary School, Maldon Baptist Basic School, Maroon Town Health Center, Summer Hill Church of God, and the District Development Committees from: Point, Vaughnsfield, Maroon Town, Flagstaff and Maldon.

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We learned about the primary economic and social challenges and concerns of residents at the personal and community levels. Community leaders learned about their economic and social rights and their shared responsibilities in the process of governance. At the workshops, it was clear that leaders were prepared to represent and articulate their community’s needs and challenges to us, but they were not prepared to hear of the huge responsibilities that they had in ensuring that their needs are attended to by relevant stakeholders, including their prioritization by elected representatives. This revelation almost brought,one community leader and pastor of a local church, to tears…

“Den a so much we have to do? After we vote we still haffi do so much. We Member of Parliament and Counselor come from here and know the problems we have with water. This is just too much!”

The socioeconomic problem/ need that resonated most frequently in the church hall was water. On Day 3, during the delivery of the Community Assessment Workshop, participants informed us about the most adverse socioeconomic problems and the effects/ impact on their lives, via an icebreaker–The Name Game:

• The water system is not good in my community because I have to buy a car to transport it. I am very frustrated with this situation
• I hate the lack of adequate water supply. We have to take it from water holes, which result in illnesses
• I am tired of the water problem and bad roads. It is so hard to get transportation because of the poor road conditions
• As the principal of a basic school in the community, I find the water situation most distressing. I pay JA$50 per drum to get water in the canteen. We are not able to store it in large quantities, and therefore as I buy for the school it runs out again. It is so unhealthy for the children
• I have been carrying water on my head for over 30 years of my life and I don’t want 40 years to catch me like this
• The bad roads are causing us to pay extra fares and higher costs for water. The road condition has also led to the underdevelopment of the primary school in Shorter’s Hill. Parents bypass our school and go to others outside the community
• The poor water system creates significant havoc for Maldon High School–affecting sanitation and water for consumption. We generally purchase water from Rapid Response, but sometimes we go as much as two weeks without its delivery. The school grounds are also very rugged and rough and the facilities for development through sports are very limited
• Poor water conditions are negatively affecting my life in my community. I have to pay JA$50 per 5 gallon bucket, and if I am unable to carry it I have to pay an additional cost
• The absence of ECG machines on the wards at Cornwall regional hospital is a serious hindrance to the life of heart patients. A family member of mine died because of the absence of this machine on the ward
• An adult learning center is needed in the community and we have lots of venues available where it can be facilitated
  
• We have so many springs and rivers in this area, why can’t we have running water in our pipes?

Other challenges in need of urgent attention included: poor road conditions, lack of benefits to the community from tourism involving their historic sites, and unemployment.

Maroon Town Community is a rural farming community, nestled in the hills of south St. James. It is an acclaimed historic site because it is home to one of Jamaica’s Maroon communities that resisted the system of slavery in the 1700s, as well as its closeness to Kensington Estate, which played a major role in the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt (Baptist War/ Christmas Revolt), which was led by national hero Samuel Sharpe and ushered in the end of slavery across the British Empire in 1833. Today, residents describe themselves as hard working farmers whose primary crops are yams and bananas. The community is comprised of 12 distinct districts, with 300-500 households in each, namely:  Flagstaff, Short Castle, George’s Valley, Maroon Town, Brown’s Town, Vaughnsfield, Dundee, Woodland, Maldon, Summer Hill, Cartel District, and Point.  The districts have access to a wide range of socioeconomic resources including: telephone, electricity, health center, churches, district and community development committees, public library, community centers, police station, People’s Cooperative Bank, high school, kindergarten schools, primary schools, rivers and water holes, post offices, hardware, and a network of community roads.

I learned from participants that the one thing that can galvanize the people of Maroon Town, St. James is water, but in order to get each resident passionate about and participating in the governance of a community water system, they would need to see the possibility of individual benefits. Since the appointment of Member of Parliament (M.P.) Derrick Kellier, unfulfilled promises about the design and implementation of a piped water system have been made, which have resulted in significant disappointment and distrust by community leaders and residents. The last promised date, by the M.P., for signs of the implementation of a community water system was October 2008. To date, no one has seen or heard of a plan, workers, equipment, or discussions relating to such.

The absence of a piped water system has forced residents to create individual solutions. This has resulted in disparity of access based on income and wealth. While Rapid Response (a mobile water trucking facility provided courtesy of the Government at a cost per gallon) serves the community, residents complain of its irregularity and untimeliness in responding to their needs. Residents have been adapting to the lack of piped water in the following ways: motor vehicle purchases to transport water from nearby communities; water purchases from independent suppliers; walks to and from water holes and rivers with containers; rainfall; Rapid Response; and chartered or route taxis to carry water as individuals commute for routine business. There is no centralized water storage facility, therefore the capacity to access stored water is based on the individual household’s capacity to build a tank, or purchase a water tank and drums. Most residents live in modern homes, fitted with pipes for amenities such as internal bathrooms and kitchens, but they are unable to live in comfort and realize an adequate living standard because of the absence of piped water.

Water Tanks

Residents noted that the spirit of community unity has been replaced by individualism–each householder, disappointed by the lack of responsiveness of the M.P., who is familiar with and knows the problems of South St. James, has sought to create an individual solution. Promoting community unity and participatory governance, they say, will be a feat in Maroon Town, but it is essential in promoting the prioritisation of community’s needs and sustainable development. To achieve this, residents must become conscious of their shared experiences of challenges and achievements, or  create new experiences of community success, and use these to stimulate a united effort for sustainable development.

Sen. D. Lightbourn and Dr. Carolyn Gomes

Today is December 10th and people around the world are celebrating international Human Rights Day. In Jamaica, a number of non-government organization (NGO) leaders will mark the event with an outdoor radio broadcast on a popular program Independent Talk. For me, this is a very important day, and its commemoration with a radio broadcast is the beginning of a process of public education and awareness, which will definitely help Jamaicans to start the process of claiming their human rights.

Most importantly, Jamaica, which has a history of human rights breaches dating as far back as slavery, will need a comprehensive human rights education program in order to improve peoples’ capacity to claim their rights. This is a necessity at this time because there has never been a deliberate attempt after emancipation to educate the ex-slaves and their children about their newly gained rights. Without such, there will be persistent apathy of  a large number of Jamaicans towards the development of self, community, and country.

View of head table and audience at IACHR Conversation on HR

I attended an event, ‘A Conversation about the Inter-American System of Human Rights’, earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised by the level of interest and curiosity of Jamaicans about the issue. As a matter of fact, they raised a number of issues, which are indicative of their interest and need for more information and education about human rights and the human rights systems at the national, regional and international levels. The main human rights issues that were raised by the audience included:

1. The death penalty, which is currently being debated in Parliament, and which seems to favor its reinstatement
2. Police abuse, excess, and injustice towards people from poor communities
3. Marginalization of the Jamaican poor from national policy and legislative decisions
4. Systemic denial of the rights of the male child and his associated vulnerability to poor education and incarceration
5. Domestic violence and denial of rights of adult males in their homes
6. Absence of youth participation in national planning and development, even concerning them
7. Discrimination and prejudice against people with differences based on religion, disability, age, and sexual preferences.

The fact that Jamaicans insisted on raising these issues, sometimes against opposition, demonstrates that they are ready and yearning for information and education that will better prepare them to claim their rights. Sir Clare Roberts, IACHR Rapporteur for Jamaica, Peoples of African decent and Racism noted that, “the first protection of human rights by an individual is for him to first be aware of his human rights… There is a need to build the capacity of NGOs in Jamaica, so that they can respond to human rights issues.”

Sir Clare Roberts addresses the audience

With all this said, the arguments coming from IACHR and the Jamaican people, at this time, is that we need to ‘buckle down’ and be really serious about this business of human rights. We often times take it for granted because we are not members of marginalized and minority groups. The funny thing though is that we share a common world and the denial of one persons right affects us all.

Let’s imagine for a moment what life was like in the western hemisphere during the 1700s to 1800s–certainly the enslavement and dehumanization of one race of people in relation to another hurt both races. Both were deprived of the opportunity to learn skills that were essential for their survival. Further, we are left scarred with stigmas about the capacities and mannerism of the other. This holds us all back from progress, not just the individual being denied of his/her rights.

Today, I raise my glass to all the people (unrecognized and recognized) around  the world who keep fighting for human rights, equality and justice. I especially celebrate the achievement of Dr. Carolyn Gomes on being awarded the 2008 UN Human Rights Award for her contribution in the field in Jamaica. Her award is a symbol that serious work has started in our country.

Dr. Carolyn Gomes fields questions from the audience

We need to play our part to lobby Government to support the cause of justice and equality in all spheres of life in Jamaica–through policy, legislation, and available and accessible programming. At the individual level let’s increase our awareness and knowledge about human rights and change personal attitudes and behaviors which perpetuate stigma, discrimination, and low and negative expectations of people who are, prefer or dare to be different.

Let us send a message of one love, tolerance, and respect for all humanity!