Group Photo: Participants at the Launch of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Bench Book
Criminal justice actors on Monday July 11, 2022 assembled at Mestil Hotel to witness the launch of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Bench Book, a reference guide for handling TIP cases.
The launch was presided over by Hon. Justice Mike Chibita, a Justice of the Supreme Court and Chairperson, Governing Council of the Judicial Training Institute. He commended the Judiciary leadership and its partners for coming up with a reference manual geared at improving adjudication in human trafficking cases. "I hope that the Bench Book will greatly contribute to the fulfillment of fulfillment of the mandate of the Judiciary by improving on adjudication and punishment of human trafficking in the criminal justice system," Hon. Justice Chibita said.
The Book was developed by the Judiciary of Uganda in partnership with The National Association of Women Judges - Uganda (NAWJU), the International Association of Women Judges(IAWJ), and the Human Trafficking Institute.
Hon. Lady Justice Henrietta Wolayo the President of NAWJU said the TIP Bench Book, would create are ference guide for judicial officers when handling a TIP case which is a human rights violation, a form of modern-day slavery, and of internationally recognized crime. "There is growing recognition of its prevalence globally and in Uganda Specifically and judicial members have experienced the devastating impact that trafficking on victims and the community," she noted.
The JTI Executive Director, Hon. Lady Justice Damalie N Lwanga noted that it was a material that, would help Judicial Officers to enhance their knowledge on how to handle trafficking cases.
Hon. Lady Justice Susan Okalany said trafficking manifests in different shapes; from international criminal syndicates profiting from the labour or sexual exploitation of many people to an individual exploiting a domestic worker at home.
"Given the complexity, diversity, offense, that trafficking and relatively recent laws that criminalize TIP, it can be a difficult crime to examine," she observed. Adding that the Bench Book would assist judicial officers in understanding the dynamics of TIP, provide guidance on being alert and responsive to the needs of often-traumatized TIP victims, and tackle the legal and evidentiary issues that often arise in these cases.
Hon. Lady Justice Okalany emphasized that the book would also be useful for other justice actors and stakeholders as it sets parameters for the offense, thereby guarding against possible misapplications of the law against innocent and unintended persons, such as employers of migrant workers.
She also enlightened participants on the key strengths of the Bench Book which is the case digest and ingredients table that sets out Ugandan and global jurisprudence, case examples and guidance on three ingredients of the offence- acts, means, and purpose.
On the usage of the book, Hon. Lady Justice Wolayo reported that so far 19 Judicial officers had received training and reference materials on how to facilitate the curriculum on TIP. Additionally, 25 Judicial Officers across different regions had been trained in the adjudication of TIP cases and two trainings for police, prosecutors, and service providers were yet to be conducted.
The bench book was put together by the leadership, expertise, and input of the Ugandan Technical Committee members, including; Hon. Lady Justice Elizabeth Jane Alividza, Hon. Lady Justice Henrietta Wolayo, Hon. Lady Justice Susan Okalany, Hon. Lady Justice Elizabeth Ibanda Nahamya, Hon. Lady Justice Joyce Kavuma, Ms Lisa Churcher a consultant/Legal programs Coordinator for the Human Trafficking Institute and the Judicial Training Institute.
Present at the launch were a cross-section of Judicial Officers, Mr Tyler Dunman from the Human Trafficking Institute, representatives from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Uganda Police Force, and interns from Pepperdine University Law School and Regent University among others.
The launch was moderated by the Judiciary Public Relations Officer, HW Jamson Karemani.
Posted 11th, July 2022
