A working group composed of representatives of the Civil Monitoring Boards (CMBs), Directorate General for Prisons and Detention Houses (DGPDH), academics from the selected universities, Ministry of Justice Inspection Board, National Preventive Mechanism, enforcement judge and DGPDH controllers, provided input to the revised CMB’s Manual. This was the first working group meeting on developing training curricula and materials for the CMB members, and it was marked by active participation and topical discussion of all its members.
This meeting, which was organised online on 29 April 2021, marks the beginning of a process during which the working group will have active role in both developing the training materials and delivering the cascade training sessions in different regions across Turkey. It is expected that the trainings will further improve the quality of the civil monitoring system and enhance the capacity, knowledge and skills of CMB members on prison monitoring, aligning it with best European practices.
The CMBs’ training and capacity-building has already started with the development of the digital platform and adaptation of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on the standards set by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Additionally, following a transparent procedure, eight universities across Turkey were selected to ensure sustainable training provision for the CMBs. Accordingly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on setting-up regional training capacities has been signed between the DGPDH and these universities.
The meeting was held within the Project entitled “Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Civil Monitoring Boards in Turkey in line with the European Standards”, funded by Sweden, Switzerland, the Republic of Turkey, the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe and Canada.
