PRI’s MENA office organises training workshop for prison staff on human rights standards

Last week, PRI’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) office organised a three-day Training of Trainers workshop for prison staff in Yemen on treating prisoners according to international human rights standards.

Approximately 20 prison managers and officers attended the workshop, which aimed to build the capacity of the prison administration and staff members on general management skills and the use of manuals and guidelines based on international human rights standards, mainly the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and the UN Bangkok Rules on Women Offenders and Prisoners.

The workshop was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the Correctional and Rehabilitation Department, and the Together Foundation for Development and Human Rights, under PRI’s project, Penitentiary System Reform in Yemen: Meeting International Human Rights Standards, a four-year project that is funded by the Dutch Embassy in Sana’a. The project aims to reform the penitentiary system in line with international human rights; develop the capacity of civil society groups to initiate projects to support people in the criminal justice system and to protect the rights of prisoners; and implement alternative sanctions and diversion mechanisms at community and police levels.

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Watch PRI’s two-minute animation which explains what the UN Nelson Mandela Rules include, and what they mean for prison management.