CAT/C/IRL/CO/1
Training of law enforcement personnel
30.
While welcoming the information provided by the State party on the general training
programmes for the Garda Síochána, the Committee is concerned at the lack of specific
training of both law enforcement personnel, with regard to the prohibition of torture and illtreatment, and medical officers, on the Manual on the Effective Investigation and
Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(Istanbul Protocol) (arts. 2, 10 and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Ensure that law enforcement personnel are provided, on a regular and
systematic basis, with the necessary training on the provisions of the Convention,
especially with regard to the prohibition of torture;
(b)
Ensure that medical personnel and others involved in the custody,
interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention
or imprisonment, as well as other professionals involved in the documentation and
investigation of torture, are provided, on a regular and systematic basis, with training
on the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol) and that
the Manual is translated into all appropriate languages. The State party should also
ensure that such training is also provided for individuals involved in asylum
determination procedures;
(c)
Develop and implement a methodology to assess the effectiveness and
impact of such educational and training programmes on the prevention of torture and
ill-treatment and regularly evaluate the training provided for its law enforcement
officials;
(d)
Strengthen its efforts to implement a gender-sensitive approach for the
training of those involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of women
subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment;
(e)
Strengthen its efforts to ensure the training of law enforcement personnel
and others on the treatment of vulnerable groups at risk of ill-treatment, such as
children, migrants, Travellers, Roma and other vulnerable groups;
(f)
Strengthen professional training in hospitals, medical and social
institutions.
31.
The Committee invites the State party to ratify the core United Nations human rights
treaties to which it is not yet a party, namely, the International Convention on the Protection
of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the International Convention for the Protection of All
Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
32.
The State party is requested to disseminate widely the report submitted to the
Committee, summary records and the present concluding observations, in appropriate
languages, through official websites, the media and non-governmental organizations.
33.
The Committee requests the State party to provide, within one year, follow-up
information in response to the Committee’s recommendations contained in paragraphs 8, 20,
21 and 25 of the present document.
34.
The Committee invites the State party to submit its next treaty-specific report within
the limit of 40 pages. The Committee also invites the State party to update its common core
document (HRI/CORE/1/Add.15/Rev.1) in accordance with the requirements of the common
core document contained in the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international
human rights treaties (HRI/GEN.2/Rev.6), approved by the Inter-Committee Meeting of the
human rights treaty bodies, and to observe the limit of 80 pages. The treaty-specific
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