Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of West Indies, Prof. Rose Marie Belle-Antoine calls the discovery 69 persons found in cages in a facility in Arouca alarming and commends the police for its decisive action.
In a medical released sent this evening, Prof. Belle-Antoine says reasons for this travesty, whether for supposed treatment of mental illness, homelessness, suspicions of trafficking in persons, or slavery, should never resort to a person’s freedom being stripped from them.
Concerns about torture at the treatment meted out to these captives are also alarming and contravene every known human right principle and standards of ethical and humane conduct.
It is telling that this has been revealed at a time when the country focuses on Mental Health week and seek to elevate our previously poor understandings of and support given to the documented high number of persons in our society who experience mental health issues.
She ends by saying As a society, we should also reflect on the disturbing phenomenon of the many homeless persons on our streets, which exposes the vulnerability of persons who should be in our care and confront the reality that serious violations of human rights and other atrocities are occurring every day in our nation and we cannot continue, to “bury our hands in the sand”.
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