Anderson

AS THE Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights (IJCHR) observes human rights day today, reports show that more cases of police brutality and excesses are being legally settled.

Nancy Anderson, attorney-at-law and IJCHR legal officer, said that in comparison to 10 years ago, far more cases of abuse by the police are being settled.

She noted, however, that "very few" cases end up within the court, "maybe one in 50".

More complaints

"If we wish to bring a civil suit, in many cases those suits are being settled long before they reach the court," Anderson recently told The Gleaner.

This comes against the back-ground that at least one incident of police brutality is reported to the human rights watchdog daily.

"Hard to say exact numbers or what the ratio is regarding the cases being settled, but we also see more people coming forward to make the complaints," Anderson told The Gleaner.

She noted that litigation often takes several years, hence complainants are usually satisfied with out-of-court settlements.

"There have been cases in which a policeman has been prosecuted for assault and in order to settle that prosecution, the policeman will offer damages to the complainant, who will be satisfied with that instead of continuing the prosecution," she said.

The IJCHR's observance of International Human Rights Day will continue throughout the week with a scheduled list of activities.

In association with Woman Inc., the IJCHR will host a press conference on human rights this morning at Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston. At the press briefing, the council will announce the winners of an essay competition on 'human rights for students in secondary schools'.