On June 14 to 15, in Bagbe, the Togo YMCA organised a training workshop on Human right for 22 Legal Assistants, volunteers and staffs. The event was co-organised by the YMCA and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, Vienna, Austria.
The objective of the training was to build and strength the capacity of the volunteers in knowledge and techniques needed to monitor human rights and prevent torture.
Participants were mainly volunteers from three regions where they are committed to protect and promote human rights, especially by supporting the in-prison legal clubs in Aneho, Lome, Kara, Sokode and Atakpamé.
The topics covered by the workshop were: roles of legal assistants; introduction to human rights; regional and international human rights protection systems; rights of detainees – torture and ill-treatments, legal basis and protection system; and dealing with trauma and security.
National General Secretary of the Togo YMCA, Mr. Gerard Atohoun noticed that
“this training is an opportunity for his institution to prepare to launch a new step of YMCA’s work towards protection of rights of young people in conflict with the law, especially the monitoring in the detention places in order to contribute to the prevention of torture”.
At the end of the workshop, participants, as well as facilitators from Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights and the YMCA, expressed their satisfaction and agreed to develop a manual in the near future which will be used by the legal assistants to guide their work.
YMCA has been working to protect and promote human rights in prison since 2005 and started collaboration with Boltzmann Institute last year for the implementation in Togo of the Atlas of Torture project, an initiative funded by European Commission.
By Franck Gafan, YMCA Togo
