Prison guards in Gontougo given human rights training

At the initiative of the Legal Clinic of Bondoukou, the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) organised a training session on respect for human rights in the prison environment for guards in Bondoukou prison, situated at 420 km northeast of Abidjan on 20 and 21 November 2014.

During the sessions, some 30 prison guards from Gontougo region were instructed on different modules to expand their knowledge of human rights, respecting prison rules and regulations by the UNOCI human rights officer, Hamadou Djibo. He told the prison workers they should always bear in mind that prisoners' rights must be respected even during their detention. The most fundamental of these rights is that they must be treated with dignity.





By using a participative approach, Hamadou Djibo shown participants how a prison should normally function, the minimum conditions of detention, the rights of detainees in general, as well as the right to privacy for detainees.

At the end of the training, participants said they were satisfied with the consistency and pertinence of the contents of the sessions. However, they regretted the fact that the facilities available in most prisons meant that it was not always possible to apply the rules and regulations in accordance with international rights and human rights for detainees.

The Registrar of Bondoukou Prison, Christophe Ahoutou, welcomed the training and expressed the hope that i twill contribute to improving service with regard to the treatment of detainees.