Delays by the Constitutional Offices Commission in appointing key office holders have left the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission without a chairperson and a proceedings commissioner.
Its commissioner Chantelle Khan said this had contributed to a backlog of cases waiting to be taken to court.
Ms Khan said the commission’s structure required a chairperson, four commissioners and a proceedings commissioner.
“Currently, we only have three commissioners. We do not have the chairperson or the proceedings commissioner,” she said.
The proceedings commissioner is responsible for taking human rights cases to court.
“The reason those positions remain vacant is because the Constitutional Offices Commission has not been meeting, and appointments have been delayed.
“This has contributed to a backlog of cases that need to go to court, adding further delays.”
She said a significant number of complaints received by the commission came from prison inmates.
“When I first became a commissioner, I was surprised that prisoners were among those making the most use of the Human Rights Commission’s services.”
While it was encouraging that prisoners were aware of the Commission’s services, she said, it was important for other people experiencing human rights violations to come forward.
“The commission’s former chairperson had also served as the proceedings commissioner and was a lawyer who took cases to court on a pro bono basis.”
Since his appointment was not renewed by the Constitutional Offices Commission, she said, the commission had to engage lawyers or seek additional legal support to handle cases that required court action.
